VIIIA Score Unique Venue Victory with Party on Aircraft Carrier Flightdeck

We’ll always love clubbing in small sweaty basement clubs. But we equally enjoy partying in unusual surroundings – and the quirkier the better. Which is why we instantly fell in love with Dubai club The Hatch, located deep inside the QE2’s old engine room. Well, now our American cousins have gone one better. US promoters VIIIA kick off their party series next month on the flightdeck of a historical aircraft carrier. Now, that’s impressive.

Leaving standard clubbing in the rearview mirror, these promoters are taking a decidedly different approach. Each VIIIA party will take place on completely virgin clubbing territory. Their inaugural event on the flightdeck of the mighty USS Hornet aircraft carrier is VIIIA’s calling card of intent.

New Ground

“We’re not interested in doing what’s been done before,” says co-founder Daniel Peterson. “We want to break new ground. VIIIA events will become a cornerstone of youth culture. Like those who attended Woodstock or the first Ultra Music Festival, in 20 or 30 years’ time people will recall their VIIIA experiences and say, ‘I was there’. We’re creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

“VIIIA is about connecting,” explains Peterson. “Connecting with the space, connecting with the people and connecting with the music.”

Clubbers will enjoy an “intimate, highly immersive” experience at every VIIIA event. “Music itself is intimate and we created VIIIA with refined experiences in mind,” says co-founder Davin Thrasher. “For us that means limited capacities, amazing locations and parties curated for people who want more than just a night out.”

Impressive History

The USS Hornet boasts an impressive history. Commissioned in 1943, the aircraft carrier provided the US Navy’s primary offensive force during the Pacific War. The ship’s massive flightdeck once carried over 100 military aircraft. Post-war, the USS Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 astronauts as they returned from the Moon. How freaking cool is that?

Now a sea, air and space museum, the USS Hornet is docked in Alameda, near San Francisco. Sharam headlines VIIIA’s flightdeck party, on Saturday 23 October, along with Miguel Migs, Tara Brooks and more. A portion of all ticket sales go to humanitarian aid organisation Direct Relief. Shipshape, indeed.

Photo: Michael Afonso/Unsplash

Also read: Miguel Migs Looks for Deeper Connection with ‘Shaping Visions’ Album