Vauxhall night club Fire & Lightbox brings back fully sober day event from The House of Happiness for their first Halloween event ‘Hallokween’.
All party enjoyers know that Halloween is the perfect time to dress up, go out and get a little ‘wild’ in the process, but people have started to question what options are available for sober people if they want to do the same.
The House of Happiness events in Fire & Lightbox, Vauxhall, are beginning to provide these spaces.
In 2022, The House of Happiness event in Fire & Lightbox, Vauxhall, was created by three friends who did not want to give up their raving days, but dreamed of enjoying a full weekend without the headache.
The South West Londoners spoke to Neil Hudson-Basing, one of three co-founders of the House of Happiness, about the community they have created within the LGBTQ+ and sober spheres, in anticipation of their Halloween event this Saturday.
Hudson-Basing, alongside co-founders Jayney and Emma, noticed that most sober events fell into two camps: “they are mindfulness and well-being focused, or addiction and recovery focused, which doesn’t really align with our stories and reasons for stopping drinking.
“We knew we wanted something that was proper clubbing, centred around having a great time, just minus drugs and alcohol.
“I think sober spaces, much like LGBTQ+ spaces, are really, really needed, but they’re often quite rare.
“They’re often not as inclusive as they could be.”
Most people are led to believe that choosing a sober life means losing some of the hobbies or activities they once loved, but that is not the story for the community here.
After their second event (The House of Happiness – FESTIVE AF in 2022), Hudson-Basing was approached by a ‘party person’ close to tears who said ‘I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do this again’ since becoming sober.
The House of Happiness is coming up to its third birthday, and throughout the years has boasted a variety of performers including DJs, dancers, and drag queens to create a clubbing experience that is ‘bold, unapologetic and queer led.’
This Saturday, ‘party people’ can expect DJ sets from resident and co-founder Emma, aka Baronness, and drag queen Heidiliscious, as well as podium performances from Rhys’ Pieces, Chiyo and ‘resident gogo clown’ Cain.
Speaking to Neil, it was clear that it is not uncommon for the crowd to end up on these same podiums, they said: “one of the most gorgeous things you can see happening at the House of Happiness is people’s confidence levels building with each event.
“Seeing people make those first steps onto the dance floor and then the next event you see them up on the podium, it’s amazing.”
The event will also hold its usual ‘pre-meet’ that runs at the venue in the hour beforehand, where guests, a lot of which attend solo, can meet, mingle and be greeted by Neil or Jayney.
The pair said: “(they) make it their mission to say hello to everyone who walks through that door”.
All House of Happiness events are 18+, with the team encouraging it to be a space ‘where people can just let loose, show up, wear what you want’ to just ‘be yourself’ and ‘get a little bit feral!’.
They also attract ‘party people’ of all ages, with the age range reaching 80-year-olds who ‘have never been to a rave before, never mind a sober rave’.
The House of Happiness aims to bring together a community of joy, fun and play, whether T-total, sober-curious or simply taking a break from booze.
Hudson-Basing said: “It doesn’t matter whether your backstory is lifestyle, addiction, health, religion, people are just there to have a good time and they’re bonded by the fact they’re going to have a cracking time without alcohol.”
The House of Happiness – Hallokween takes place on Saturday 25 October at Fire & Lightbox in Vauxhall, from 12pm – 5pm. For more information visit THE HOUSE OF HAPPINESS | SOBER RAVE | HALLOKWEEN Tickets, Sat 25 Oct 2025 at 12:00 | Eventbrite
Image credit: The House of Happiness
