The outdated practice of clubbing with a dress code
Source: Modesta Žemgulytė on Unsplash.
The uniform of button-ups, pants, and dress shoes for most Christchurch clubs has caused many students to call for a change and many more left frustrated.
While some view Saturday night clubbing as the highlight of their weekend, some male students have grown tired of having to conform to the strict dress code of the nightlife strip.
“Being forced to wear my nicest clothes every weekend means by the time I’m home they’re too filthy to wear again without a wash,” said Sebastian, a first-year resident of Tupuānuku.
“It brings my night down a lot, by the end of the night my feet are dead from the dress shoes and I find myself in bed earlier than I would going out in other cities.”
Dress shoes ruined, tops filthy, and constant sweating are just some of the issues many other town goers listed.
Nicole, expressed concern for her boyfriend, sharing how “a lot of the time we end up having to go home early because of how hot it gets in there, with the number of people there, the dress code really only makes it worse for Jack [her boyfriend].”
Some students, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community, have provided an alternative argument for another form of frustration, regarding the limits the dress code has in allowing them to express themselves. Instead, many are forced to conform to heteronormative Ōtautahi club culture.
An idea presented by one LGBTQ+ student, Connor, who said all other major cities in New Zealand offer safe spaces for the pride community to be themselves, except Christchurch.
Original Sin, a prominent club found in the main strip in town, once turned Connor away for wearing colourful pants and shoes.
“It is upsetting, I get to see all my friends having stress free fun while I have to pretend to be someone I’m not, I thought this stuff was left at high school.”
Fat Eddie’s, another prominent nightclub in Christchurch, had this to say in regards to the issue:
“The dress code has been an institution for us and many other clubs in Christchurch for generations, we are not now considering changing the rule.”
After speaking to the bouncer of a similar club, Original Sin, it seemed all but certain this issue is one likely to remain unresolved for some time to come.
“We’ve never put much thought to it, but if we did everyone would have the same conclusion, this is the way it goes, and there won’t be any changes anytime soon,” the bouncer who wished to remain anonymous said.
Wellington, Auckland, even Dunedin have been shown to provide a more inviting and welcoming nightlife, but with the exponential growth in students within Ōtautahi, it only seems right for the city to catch up to their rivals.
Christchurch is known for being traditional, but with the progression of the country as a whole and the increasing size of the city's student culture, it seems the city's natural next step is to re-evaluate this dress code.