March into Merivale’s GUILTY PLEASURE LAUNCH PARTY

What is your guilty pleasure? Maybe it’s food you shouldn’t reeeeally be eating if you’re abiding by those fascist rules your ‘new year, new me’ self made all the way back in January? Maybe it’s dancing around your room and singing to the Backstreet Boys greatest hits? Or maybe it’s those tequila shots you swore off of when you turned 18. No matter what it is, you’re guaranteed to find it at March into Merivale’s Guilty Pleasure nights at the Ivy.


Promoted as ‘UK’s biggest and brashest party,’ the night was a lot more pleasurable than it was guilty. The first thing you’re greeted with when you walk up the stairs is a wall of donuts to eat. No seriously, you can just take as many as you want. After eating about four, we were then dressed in mullet wigs and sweatbands to embrace the era that is a decade long guilty pleasure – the 80s. Walking into a packed Palings level, we were instantly enveloped by an eccentric mix of disco, pop, and R’n’B from artists you wouldn’t normally admit to loving. Dancers on stage won us over with moves to Daft Punk, Katy Perry, Destiny’s Child days and, of course, some Salt-N-Pepa.

 At one point some sort of goddess spun her way around the room on a pair of giant lips (I think, I’m still not convinced it wasn’t a dream). The crowd was both amazed and ashamed of our own lack of upper body strength. I can safely say most of us would have genuinely feared for her life if we weren’t so mesmerised.

Perhaps most importantly, there’s a confession booth with its very own priest to absolve your sins of the night. He even gives you a shot of vodka when you’re done, but try and remember there’s a GoPro in the booth if you’re not quite ready to confess to the whole world how many Krispy Kremes you devoured.

With a party that combines all the best elements of the Rio Carnival, Mardi Gras and Barbie’s closet, what are you still doing at home? Go discover your favourite guilty pleasure… or ten.

Every Friday night 8PM onwards Ivy nightclub


Kate Wagner and Isabella Hughes