[imagesource:Flickr]

This is one Shrek-themed party that you might not want to take the kids along to. Viral Shrek raves have hit the London club scene and the 20-year-old franchise seems to be a hit with clubbers.

Most people who’ve been to a rave or two would know that these parties tend to get a bit swampy regardless of what the theme is. Especially when the third Mitsubishi kicks in and the ceiling starts to rain with the sweat that evaporates from the maelstrom of gyrating bodies beneath. Six hours in, and everyone feels like Fiona, but acts like Shrek, or Donkey, depending on how many Red Bulls you’ve had.

But now you can join a designated swamp and officially act like an ogre, fairy, or even the Gingerbread Man if you like. Welcome to Viral Shrek Raves.

The DreamWorks animated movie serves as the inspiration for an all-day rave that recently made its UK debut, and the crowds it drew were as varied as the costumes on display. Shrek appeals to a wide community and even if we think that the beloved green ogre has seen its 15 minutes of fame, there is a large community of fans that are as devoted to the movie franchise as others are to Harry Potter, or any of the two thousand Marvel movies.

By now, the meme-ification of Shrek is a well-documented phenomenon. And this is its logical endpoint: Shrek Rave is what happens when internet culture spills out into the real world.

According to Vice, the recent party was held at The Clapham Grand in London, and as one Shrek fan noted, the party was much like the green man himself, with many layers upon layers. The first layer would be the people who are there just for shits and giggles, to have fun, and perhaps have a few hours of escape from the Royalty induced hysteria that seems to infest every aspect of London life these days.

[imagesource:instagram/shrekrave]

But underneath this layer is a devoted fanbase that goes all out when attending these parties. They spend huge amounts of money on prosthetic ears, costumes, and bodypaints and when they get the chance, they let their inner ogres loose. Even the gay community seems to find something in common with the fairytale.

“Shrek appeals to the queer community because he’s an outsider, Queer people can relate to him because they’re used to being judged.”

Whether everyone is reading a bit too much into a Dreamworks cash cow is up for debate, but with huge inflatable props, trippy visuals, and a dodgy-sounding house cocktail called ‘Swamp Juice’, it seems like these parties are bangin’ – as the kids say.

@vice except for this @Shrek Rave UK #shrekrave #shrekraveuk #nightlife #clubbing ♬ original sound – VICE

It all looks like a great deal of fun, but I think South Africans are a bit more sophisticated in their rave tastes. After all, we have Afrika Burn and the shiny, plastic sexiness of the Ultra Festivals. Although, some of the Vortex parties tend to resemble fairytale swamps as well these days.

So far it would appear as if Dreamworks is enjoying the free publicity, but as noted in the article, it is probably one ecstasy overdose away from being disavowed.

Party on swamp creatures! Or as the flyer says: Cool is dead. Who cares?

[sources: vice]