It often feels awkward to be caught dancing to your favorite music in public—but this isn’t the case at a Silent Disco. Here, you become encapsulated by the music and will find yourself dancing alongside complete strangers with your preferred music blasting through the headphones.
The Silent Disco at the Irvine Spectrum is open to any passerby at no cost, regardless of whether you want to dance for five minutes or 50. Each dancer can switch between three DJs, each playing different child-friendly music directly to the provided headphones. Selections included music from the musical “Mamma Mia,” classic Disney songs such as “Hakuna Matata” or throwback songs from the ‘90s and ‘00s.
“I really liked the idea of the whole thing,” senior Amara Rydwell said. “It is a fun idea for when you are with a big group of friends, and it’s nice that it can be enjoyed by all age groups.”
In order to avoid noise complaints and curfews at his parties, longtime DJ and founder of The Silent DJ Marty Glassman introduced Silent Disco to Southern California and hosted the event at the Irvine Spectrum as part of a recurring series.
“The first time I did this, it was at an outdoor wedding and the cops came to try and shut us down,” Glassman said. “But then I pulled out one of these headphones and the cops just started laughing and the party was able to go on. That’s when I knew that this was going to be successful.”
After close to 20 years since its introduction in the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the silent disco has become used in all types of parties, from small weddings to large music festivals. Despite many people initially feeling unsure about trying it, when you are surrounded by people having a good time, it is easy to forget your worries and have a fun night.
Silent discos are the perfect opportunity for introverts to go out with minimal interactions, extroverts to party all night long and strangers to silently bond over the universal language of music.
“So many people have said ‘Oh this is weird’ or ‘I would never do that,’ but I have never had anyone not have a great time,” Glassman said. “Just don’t knock it until you try it.”
This event will be held again at the Irvine Spectrum on Oct. 28 from 6-9 p.m., where anyone can experience the Silent Disco for themselves.
