Happy New Year everyone, we made it! The UK predicted 5,000 illegal raves to happen during the festive weekend, and they’re right. At the All Saints Church in East Horndon, Essex, authorities arrested three people among hundreds that attended the “Secret Sessions” function.
The 500-year-old church saw hundreds of deprived souls trashing the venue. They caused over £1,000 in damage and as a result, this devastated parishioners of the venue. The repair bill will not be cheap due to the building’s age and heritage status.
What’s more is police say people threw objects at them when threatened to shut the party down. With the UK in Tier 4 of the COVID-19 restrictions, large gatherings had still been banned. Nevertheless, we know the itch to gather has been brewing for the latter part of 2020.
Was It Worth It?
The party had a professional setup fit with DJ decks, lighting, Portaloos, and a bar. Given the number of people there, some citizens think it was a ticketed event. With drinks and drug use running rampant all night long, partiers tore up and littered the grounds. Furthermore, they smashed windows to insert their sound equipment while using the church’s electrical fuse boxes.
‘I love the place, it’s such a beautiful church, and to find out it’s been damaged is devastating, I’m just trying to get my head around it.’
‘You wake up in the new year and think “new year, new me” and then you’ve got to deal with all this.’
Concerned citizens of Essex
Crowds dispersed before midnight, which is when the arrests happened. The suspects include a 27-year-old (Harlow, on drug possession), a 22-year-old (Harlow on cannabis possession), and a 35-year-old (Southwark, on drug possession).
The hunt for unique rave venues is always at hand, but sometimes there really is a time and a place for everything. Here’s to a new year getting things back on track.