Theme nights find a ready-and-willing audience outside standard nightclub settings

It’s Saturday night at the Hollywood Theatre and the sell-out crowd is surging into the West Broadway venue for a fun-filled evening. This crowd isn’t here to catch the latest band or MC. They’re here to hear Virgin Radio DJ Flipout spin at the Bejeweled Taylor Swift Dance Party.

From live music venues to symphony soft-seaters, the theme night has had an update. Venue owners and operators are more than happy to let the Swifties shake-it-off.

“Having spent the last 25 years DJ’ing around town, I have never played a tribute or theme night or been to one,” said Hollywood Theatre talent-buyer Jay Wallace, a.k.a. DJ J-Swing. “But they are super-popular these days and we are selling-out emo nights, Taylor Swift nights and, recently, an event called Dancing Queen where we played Abba and Queen all night.

“It’s all young people in their 20s as well, which is a great focus for any venue.”

Companies specializing in packaging theme nights are springing-up across North America bringing new ideas to nightlife at a time when sagging attendance was already an issues in the post-COVID-19 business landscape. Where live music can be hit-or-miss and come with large-cost carry-overs, the fan base for emo night revelry to a My Chemical Romance and Alexisonfire soundtrack is ready-made.