You cannot defeat the internet. In a time when social isolation has become the norm due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the internet has (for the most part) served as a haven. We check in with friends via group Facetime, we use Zoom to connect with coworkers, and now we’re turning up online because we won’t be able to visit our favorite weekend hangouts for some time.
Virtual parties have exploded on our Instagram feeds during the past week. One, in particular, hosted by DJ D-Nice of Los Angeles, ran on Instagram Live for nine hours straight and attracted over 100,000 viewers, including Rihanna, John Legend, Michelle Obama, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah, and Missy Elliott. Club Quarantine is what partygoers refer to as “the biggest party on the planet.”
In addition to being entertaining, virtual gatherings strengthen our sense of community, which is essential at a time when social isolation can breed loneliness. The best thing is that everyone gets a booth and has no velvet rope or dress restrictions.
Why not check out some of the trendiest parties online while the days of going out to the club with your girlfriends are now on hold? Here is a list of the top online events, including a black-tie gala (yep, you read that correctly), slow jams, and dancehall parties. Get ready to emerge from your living room, as some are ongoing and others are one-time-only.
Pro DJs’ Tips for Hosting an Online Dance Party
One experience you can’t duplicate at home is dancing in a crowded club. However, simulating the emotion will do for the time being. Zoom events, DJ live streams, and online clubs like Club Quarantäne, run by Resident Advisor, bring people together to enjoy music while remaining physically apart. You can join in on the digital club action for your pals or an official stream if you have little technical know-how. To host a successful online party, you don’t need professional equipment or previous DJ experience; you only need a good attitude and music you enjoy.
Harry Gay and his roommates/fellow DJs Wacha and Passer created the weekly Zoom series Queer House Party in March as a way to make rent after canceled gigs. They were stuck inside with a beginner-level Pioneer controller. Since then, it has expanded into a weekly event with 1,000 participants streaming from their London residences every Friday night. They only need a steady internet connection and virtual DJ software or a controller to play the music; you don’t need much to pull it off. The passer continues, “Having a premium Zoom account offers us the resources we need to run the party we want and protect people from racist trolls and Zoom bombers.