in kyiv, nightclubs open in the afternoon to accommodate the curfew

Shrill cries and bodies exulting with joy against a backdrop of electro music… You might think it’s 2 a.m. in this kyiv nightclub, but it’s actually only 6 p.m. Gray Cat (The Gray Cat) is a daytime nightclub! The revelers have been dancing there since 1 p.m.

The schedule may seem strange, but these young people who have lived for eight months under Russian invasion and under curfew have learned to take advantage of it.

“It’s better, because after an afternoon here, you can go home quite early, and you have the whole night in front of you”, enthuses Pavlo. Going out early also allows you to be in good shape the next day, add Ivan and George, whom we meet in the smoking area: “Anyway, you have to get used to partying in the afternoon. At the moment, there is no other solution.”

Several kyiv clubs now offer this formula. The one we find ourselves in is a bit underground. Near the DJ, a young girl is dancing topless. An almost Berlin atmosphere despite this large Ukrainian flag on the wall. And sometimes a “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”) echoes from the dance floor. Dance like a snub to Russia, even if many of these young people (20 years old, on average) come above all to clear their minds. “You know, being here all afternoon, it allows you to forget reality, the bombings, the sirens… It’s relaxing!”, entrusts David, who came to party with his girlfriend Vika. The war forced them both to flee Mariupol for kyiv.

The revelers sometimes have a beer in their hands, but we don’t see many tipsy people. Ivan explains that the idea is not necessarily to drink but above all to do something useful for the country. As is often the case when an event has been organized since the start of the Russian invasion, all profits from this clubbing afternoon are donated to the Ukrainian army. Objective : “Kill the Russians”, adds George. Andryi the organizer, will not receive any money tonight: “We give all the proceeds to the army, because if we can have these parties, it’s thanks to our soldiers. It’s thanks to them that we are alive.”

“Even in times of war, we manage to have fun, relax, take our minds off things, and dance. It’s beautiful.”

Andryi, organizer of the “Oxygen” evening

at franceinfo

Two rooms two atmospheres. In the one next door, a rock concert is held in front of 200 people. Andryi welcomes : no power outage tonight in the neighborhood, which was far from a foregone conclusion. “We called the party ‘Oxygen’, because it’s like a breath of fresh air“. Almost 7 p.m., only two hours left to party, breathe and forget yourself. A powerful “Davaï, davaïïïïï!” (“Come on !”) is heard despite the powerful beats of the DJ.