Beats For Eats

Beats For Eats takes over Gloucester Guildhall on Friday 30 October, from 18:00 to 23:00. It's a rave with a difference: there's no ticket to buy. Instead, you hand over a food donation on the door, with every tin or bag of pasta going to Gloucester Foodbank.

The night is presented by In the Dance, and the music leans towards garage, drum & bass and dubstep. The line-up brings together Donovan 'Bad Boy' Smith, Mattik, Big Sis DJs, GRIZ-O and MISSKIKI, with a visual show running alongside. The organisers describe that visual element as a celebration of Gloucester's electronic music history.

Beats For Eats was conceived by Gloucester friends Bleu Buckland and Alfie Herbert, who have staged events together for the last six years. They've set it up with a specific aim in mind: to help rebuild a local dance scene that they say has fallen behind neighbouring cities like Bristol following venue closures and limited opportunities for emerging artists. It's backed by Together Gloucester, the cultural programme supported by Arts Council England and Gloucester City Council, which has funded around 60 projects to date — from a Mending Café at The Folk to Gloucestershire Dance Day.

So, rather than reaching for your wallet, you'll need to bring a donation to the door: one tin and one bag of pasta for the foodbank. The night runs from 18:00 to 23:00 at Gloucester Guildhall, 23 Eastgate Street, GL1 1NS.