‘We need to bring new ideas’: Ministry of Sound launch Toilet Takeover series

Since its inception in a disused bus garage in Elephant and Castle, Ministry of Sound has continued to evolve and shape the capital’s nightlife industry.

Today, the iconic venue continues to pave the way for superclubs to support the modern raver, with affordable tickets, sober raves, and three brand-new in-house club nights launched.

In its latest push to excite the raving scene, the music venue pulled an April Fools stunt.

Late on March 21, 100 ravers ‘broke’ into the Ministry of Sound, armed with balaclavas, sound systems, and a trolley load of alcohol.

Ministry Of Sound reported a “serious incident” at the club, sharing: “A break-in occurred, resulting in significant damage to property and the seizure of high-value equipment.” 

The footage from the event went viral across social media, reaching 15million views so far. 

Exposing the ruse, the Ministry later said the claims were “false” and instead marked a new partnership for the venue with pop-up specialists Lab54.

Ministry Group’s managing director Caitlin McAllister said: “Club culture has always been about pushing boundaries, and the intersection of pop-up culture with establishments like Ministry of Sound is a reflection of how the industry is evolving.

“There’s an irony in a pop-up ‘breaking in’ to a club but that’s exactly the point – we need to bring new ideas to our spaces.”

Founded by Joe Gordon, Lab54 focuses on throwing parties at non-club venues like bagel shops, arcades and hotel rooms. 

On May 4, the promoter will return to the club for the first in a series of pop-up events, a first-of-its-kind secret party in the women’s toilets. 

Lab54 founder Joe Gordon said: “I think the paradigm shift we’re seeing in nightlife at the moment makes it important for clubs like Ministry to work with communities like ours to help reflect this in their offerings to ravers and what better way to do that than going back to their roots and pranking the online rave community!

Landing on the bank holiday weekend, the first official Ministry x Lab54 Toilet Takeover party will see the club’s loos transformed on May 4. 

More details, dates and events will be announced at; @ministryofsound @lab54_uk

Pictured top: Since its inception in a disused bus garage in Elephant and Castle, Ministry of Sound has continued to evolve and shape the capital’s nightlife industry (Picture: Ministry of Sound)