A popular UCF bar, The Station, is challenging the “fraternity saturated bar scene” by opening its doors to a new kind of night-time entertainment — an indie dance party called Late Night Swim.
Late Night Swim is an event hosted every Tuesday night, and its focus is to create an outlet for people with different values to meet and form a community somewhere that was built specially for them. The scene is characterized as a more laid-back dance club scene.
“Anyone that enjoys indie and a relaxed vibe is welcomed here,” The Station manager Jordan Bluck said.
When asked how Tuesdays differ from a typical Station weekend he responded, “people don’t come out here just to get drunk; they come to have a good time.”
A big aspect of this event is the diversity of the people who attend. Phillip Santos, the mind behind this new experience said, “I want to be LGBTQ friendly in a place where there isn’t anything LGBTQ friendly for about five miles. I’ve had United for Care, an organization that supports medical marijuana in Florida, at the first event. I’ve had a condom crawl. I’ve had vegetarian options. I’ve had a vegan hot dog cart. I’m really just trying to create an experience that caters to a different type of person in an area where everything is really about something I’m not necessarily about…” Not only does Santos manage Late Night Swim, but he also DJ’s the night.
A distinct feature in this atmosphere is the music. Santos works hard to make the music of the event dynamic.
“It’s not so much about representing a certain genre as it is representing a certain type of person and their taste,” he said. “A few music groups that really represent us are Crystal Castles, Disclosure, Phoenix, and Daft Punk. It’s those acts that really straddle the line between the indie world and the dance music world.”
The crowd was very small, but it added to the “relaxed vibe” of the place. The ironic thing about this was that although Late Night Swim is meant to challenge the “fraternity-saturated UCF bar scene,” Bluck reported that many of the men at the bar enjoying drinks were actually fraternity guys. “Everyone and anyone who enjoys good music are welcome,” he said.
So if you’re into indie music, a shining disco ball and a laid-back outing, check out Late Night Swim, Tuesdays at The Station.
