‘Annie Mac Before Midnight’ is redefining the night out

Doors close (for the night) at midnight

She’s been mixing our favourite jams on the radio, inside event venues, and at international music festivals for years, but after turning 43 and having kids to look after, Annie Mac found DJing until 4 in the morning exhausting and impractical.

‘Nightclubbing is not designed for people who need sleep. So I’m shifting the parameters forwards,’ Annie Mac told The Rolling Stone.

Debuting the event at the Islington Assembly Hall in London, the night began at 7pm and saw crowds reaching peak raving mode by 9pm. Only 800 tickets were sold, with the DJ booth positioned amongst the crowd to create a more intimate feel.

Though she expected the turnout to be dominated by 30-somethings or older, Mac was pleasantly surprised to see that the ravers in attendance were of all ages – including members of our very own Gen-Z.

With younger generations focused on taking care of their health and one of the world’s biggest DJs getting on board with it, could sleep-sensitive events become the future of clubbing?

Introducing Before Midnight – a fully authentic clubbing experience that starts at 7pm and ends at the strike of midnight. A chance for you to have all the fun, euphoria and wild abandon you need and STILL get a good nights sleep. Pre-sale ticket sign up: https://t.co/u3ljT857tF pic.twitter.com/i4StesQviJ

— Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus) April 1, 2022

Sweet dreams are made of these

They could very well be.

Research into current trends hint that Gen-Z is already choosing to drink less than generations that came before. Whether that will continue as younger members of Gen-Z reach the legal drinking age has yet to be realised.

But we do know that health and wellness remains a top priority for this generation who will withstand the negative health risks presented by climate change, blood-dwelling microplastics, air pollution, and more – in a way that no other generation has.

And although scientists have yet to figure out why exactly our bodies demand us to tuck in each night, it only takes experiencing a terrible night’s sleep to understand how essential it is to maintaining our overall health.

Sleep enables our brains to process the chaos of the day, hormones (including the stress chemical, cortisol) to regulate, and lets our immune systems go to work. Some say sleep even makes us happier.

It looks like Annie Mac is onto something by providing us with ‘a chance for you to have all the fun, the euphoria and the wild abandon you need and STILL get a good night’s sleep,’ regardless of age.

Just five more minutes

Because let’s be honest, we’re all tired.

Just weeks before the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic, Psychology Today wrote that Gen-Z was operating within a worrying level of ‘sleep debt’.

The publication urged us to begin viewing sleep like the important ingredient for survival and cognitive function that it is. Then suddenly, the world was forced into lockdown.

Not long after, a study of 2,000 participants in the UK revealed that Gen-Z (ironically) caught the most Z’s during the pandemic out of any other age group, with 42 percent reporting their sleep quality had improved.

Similar studies conducted in the US, South America, and Europe suggested that young people everywhere were dedicating their newfound free time to securing an average of 1 more hour of sleep per day.

And despite a widespread flock back to normal routines, scientists have said reverting to pre-2020 schedules shouldn’t be the ultimate goal – whether that means adjusting work and school hours or simply fitting in more time for rest.

For those of us not willing to skip out on the rave? It looks like Annie Mac has got our back.