Silent disco at London sea life

I wouldn’t have thought of the London aquarium as a setting to host a disco but it actually worked really well. You may have seen my post on the silent disco at the shard and I also recently visited the aquarium to see the new ocean invaders so this was a lovely opportunity to combine the two experiences and it didn’t disappoint! I mean where else are you going to get the opportunity to see two giant sea turtles getting it on while listening to Justin Bieber and sipping prosecco!?

While attending the silent disco at sea life there is a main dance area where the three DJs are based but you pretty much have free reign to explore as you wish although there are a couple of areas that are not open, it was a shame that the penguins were not available to visit as they are my favourite! But the new Jellyfish displays are open so if you haven’t visited the aquarium in a while and want to see them then this is your chance!

The aquarium has all manner of sea life from lobsters to sharks and with the relaxed atmosphere, music playing in your ears and no kids dragging you around it makes the whole experience all that more enjoyable.

The DJs were great, playing everything from Disney classics to hardcore Hip Hop (I like them both equally) with the option of switching the channel if its something that doesn’t float your boat or get your feet moving. The only downside is that while exploring certain areas the signal cuts out so you cant hear the music but still a great experience and really good atmosphere!

I don’t really drink a lot but I heard that you could purchase a band for £20 that gives you unlimited beer or wine for the night which sounds like a great offer if you want to make a night of it.

There are not many opportunities to join in with this unique night out (only three dates between August and December) so you should check it out on the Timeout website if you are interested. Tickets are a reasonable £29 which includes entry and a glass of prosecco on arrival.

Dancing in the sky

When I was given the opportunity to attend the silent disco at the Shard I was a bit apprehensive, for a start I have a fear of heights and just the thought of being 68 floors above London sends shivers down my spine, secondly everyone dancing around in silence with earphones on their head…how awkward! But what a great opportunity so I couldn’t turn it down!

Upon arrival we went through airport style security and were ushered over to the cloakroom to put in our coats and bags, we were told we could keep them if we liked and I kept my scarf as I heard that the very top viewing platform was open to the elements and could get cold.

The first lift takes you up to floor 33 in record time and then you are shown round to the second lift that goes up to floor 68. Loads of people were dressed up to the nines and others were pretty casual with jeans and trainers but I think the dress code is to just look presentable. I am more of a comfort over style person myself so chose to wear flat shoes which I am so glad about.

We were handed our headphones as we exited the lift and shown how to use them, they are really simple, a switch at the side takes you between three DJs and as you switch channel the colour of the headphones changes to your DJ of choice. Red was playing some cheesy pop and chart music, green was a mix of RnB, hip hop and grime and blue was playing more rock and alternative stuff, basically something for everyone!

As I entered the main room I was blown away by the views over London. The session runs from 10pm to 2am so it is dark outside and everything is lit up. You can walk around to get views from every side of the building and there is a machine that enables you to zoom in on certain areas so you can see it close up, although not many people were bothering with that as they were too busy singing and dancing. I happily flicked between the green and red channel and found it hard to tear myself away from the window as there was just so much to see.

I am the type of person who loves to sing along to anything, when my kids were younger they thought I knew the words to every song in the world because as soon as music starts playing I start singing, however I felt really self conscious singing out loud knowing that it was quiet in the room. As the night went on and it got busier everyone seemed to lose their inhibitions and the whole place was singing along which was really fun, especially as they were singing to three different songs!

There wasn’t any food available but there was one bar that served cocktails, prosecco, beer and bottles of water. The cocktails were a reasonable £8.50 although it is full of ice so doesn’t last long, luckily I’m not much of a drinker so I make a cheap date. I didn’t et many photos as I didn’t want to carry a big camera around while dancing and unfortunately he phone camera just doesn’t do the view any justice so you will just have to go and take a look for yourself!

The silent disco is an event run by Time Out and the tickets cost £37.50. I would have said this was expensive but I had a really great time and I don’t think any nightclub is ever going to be able to match up to this rather special experience and even if you only go for a one off experience it is well worth it! I went with the OH but if my friends wanted to go I would definitely go back again for a boogie with a view.