The modern rave scene is overdue for some love and light. HALO’s Festival in London will pack internationally-acclaimed DJs, vendors, services, and art into a 12-hour celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community on Friday, August 25.
HALO festival is closing the gap between the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community and the dark underground modern raves. The 12-hour ticketed mini festival begins at 6 pm BST on Friday, August 25, at The Cause in London and will celebrate what it means to be queer today. Proceeds from the event go to six LGBTQIA+ charities.
The HALO Festival is a world away from the typical warehouse rave, with the variety and energy of a typical festival packed into 12 hours. Top international DJs, like the British-American headliner DJ Aiden, are performing. Art installations, merchandise stalls, vintage pop-ups, a POC bookstore, and beauty booths will keep partiers engaged all night. It will be a rave like no other. In one night, guests can get a tooth gem, shop vintage clothing, and dance to DJ sets.
Centered around Y2k aesthetics, the festival’s atmosphere will be one of its highlights. Partiers can jump in pink bouncy castles and photograph in front of ornate bubbles and balloons. The Cause nightclub’s maze of rooms, each fit with its DJ, sets the scene. Every element contributes to the HALO team’s vision of a gay utopia.
With support from Aadam as art director for the event, HALO’s founder and art director, Christopher McCrory, has always had a knack for working in an interactive space with other creatives. The HALO assembler is the former creative director of content for luxury fashion house Loewe, former creative director at Selfridges, a London club scene regular, and creative strategy master. He decided to channel his frustration with the current social terrain into pride.
“I’m a big believer in the adage, ‘If you bring positivity, you’ll receive positivity.”
“Modern times feel increasingly dark and uncertain: it almost feels as though we’re being held accountable for what goes on up top, at the hands of the people in power,” said McCrory. “This night will be the opposite of that. We’re bringing the light and silliness back into clubbing.”
HALO is more than an unforgettable evening. Proceeds aid vital LGBTQIA+ charities, such as the Trans Legal Clinic, which provides free, accessible legal help to transgender and non-binary people who struggle to cover their legal fees. HALO will also support Mermaids, Gendered Intelligence, Galop, The Outside Project.
“I’m a big believer in the adage, ‘If you bring positivity, you’ll receive positivity,’” said McCrory. “So that’s what HALO’s all about.”
