Your first club night: a no nonsense guide

Everyone has a first club night, and most of them could have gone better with a bit of planning. None of this is complicated. It is a handful of small things that make the difference between a night you talk about for years and one you spend queuing in the wrong place with a flat phone.

Pick a night you actually want to go to

Start with the music, not the venue. If you like a sound, find the night that plays it. Browse what is on tonight or this weekend, filter by genre or by your city, and read the line up. A smaller room with a promoter who knows their crowd will beat a huge name every time for a first visit, because you will be able to see, hear and breathe.

Get your ticket the right way

Buy before you go. Many nights sell out, and paying on the door, where that is even an option, can cost more. Buy from the promoter or from a ticket seller linked on the event page, never from a stranger who sends you a screenshot, because a screenshot can be sold to ten people and only one gets in. A proper eTicket lives on your phone and is scanned at the door. Charge your phone before you leave and turn the brightness up when you get to the front.

Bring ID, and not much else

Clubs are for adults, and plenty of doors will ask for photo ID: a passport, a photocard driving licence or a PASS card are the usual ones. Bring it even if you think you look old enough. Take a small bag or none at all, because big bags slow the queue and many places will not let them in. Put your phone, your card, your ID and your keys in your pockets and travel light.

The door is a person, not a machine

Door staff are there to keep the room safe, and they can refuse entry. Being friendly, sober enough to hold a conversation and ready with your ticket and ID makes it easy for everyone. Arriving early also means a shorter queue and a better look at the room before it fills up.

Look after yourself

In England and Wales, a licensed venue that sells alcohol has to give you free tap water if you ask for it, and they can charge you for the glass. Ask for it, and drink it. Music in a club is loud, so a pair of earplugs is a very good idea, and you will still hear everything. Keep an eye on your drink and keep an eye on your friends, and agree before you go where you will meet if you lose each other.

Plan how you are getting home

This is the one people skip. Decide before you go: the last train or bus, a licensed taxi or a lift you have arranged, and have a way to pay for it. Do not leave it to the end of the night when everyone is trying to get home at the same time. Tell somebody where you are going and roughly when you will be back.

Then go and enjoy it

Find a spot where the sound is good rather than where you can see the most. Dance badly. Nobody is watching you, and they are all doing the same. If a night is not for you, you have lost a few hours and learned what you like. Browse more clubs and events near you and try another. The best nights are usually the third or fourth one you try.