A debate over whether there's an age limit for clubbing has emerged in Liverpool, with an 80-year-old clubber, an over-25s venue, and a daytime rave for over-30s all challenging the notion that nightlife has an expiry date. The question has been sparked by the experiences of a 31-year-old former regular at the Blue Angel pub, known as the Raz, who misses the student-dominated nights but wonders if he'd feel out of place among people more than a decade younger.
Mixed Views on the Streets
Crawford Cuthbert, 80, from Vauxhall, said: "If you're old enough to go out and stand on your feet and enjoy a drink, there's no age limit." He added: "I still go clubbing now. My favourite place at the moment is around Mathew Street and the top end of Lord Street. As long as I can get out and as long as I can enjoy a drink. If you're going to give in, its no good to you. The longer you carry on, the longer you'll live."
However, Jessica, a 20-year-old student from the Cotswolds, said: "Close to 30 is too old to go clubbing, definitely over 30." Her friend Daisy Briggs, 19, from Blackpool, echoed the sentiment, saying: "I think when you're in your late 20s like 27." But another friend, Saara Akatwijuka, 20, from Bristol, disagreed, admitting: "We disagree on this a lot. I think there's no maximum age. If you're going to good clubs why wouldn't you be clubbing up until you're 60?"
Older Clubbers Speak Out
Annette, 72, from Cantril Farm, said: "I don't think that there is an age that you shouldn't be able to go clubbing. Now I can hardly walk never mind go clubbing, but even if you're in a wheelchair you're able to have a bop." But Ollie McKinney, 27, from Kensington, said: "35 is too old to go clubbing. You're past your best. You should be at home with your kids."
David Thomas, founder of Liverpool's over-25s bar Soultrain, said: "I started Soultrain to give people over 25 and well into their 30s somewhere to go. There's nowhere like it around." He added: "A woman was in the club at 68 dancing to Robin S. It's not about the music or place - people just want to go out and have a good time and they should be able to do that anywhere. Some people don't feel comfortable so they come here. You're as young as you feel and music should always be a part of that."
Day Fever and Mixed-Age Venues
Actress Vicky McClure and her filmmaker husband, Jonny Owen, brought Day Fever to Camp and Furnace in 2024. Aimed at the over-30s crowd, the daytime rave features music spanning generations and genres. The couple said: "We've discovered there is no age limit because pretty much everyone alive today in the UK grew up in a world with popular music." They added: "For me no one is too old to go out, if they want, because we've all been there. It's in our DNA."
Meanwhile, the Lime Kiln, a city centre Wetherspoons, attracts both mature customers by day and students by night. Manager Alex Hardaker, 33, said: "You get all sorts in here. On the weekend it's everyone from 18 to 50." He added: "We have a regular called Dom who has a dance before it gets too busy. He's in his 70s. We're not a student bar so we do get a lot of older people enjoying old school music young people might not even know."
