A Party to End It All…

Well, it’s been coming for over 5000 years but the day is finally upon us – it’s the end of the world tomorrow.

As many of us know, Friday 21 December 2012 is the final day of the Mayan calendar as the 13 b’ak’tun is completed and the Great Cycle of the Long Count reaches its completion. Yes, these stern facts are taken almost verbatim from Wikipedia but hey, if we’re all done for no one is going to be checking my references…

But one thing we can look forward to as we face the possibility of our impending fiery demise is that Doomsday prophecies tend to come up tops when it comes to excuses to throw parties.

While we can’t promise we’ll be there to hold your hand as the sun sets on what could be the end of days, what we can offer are a few ideas of where you can spend your (possible) final hours…

It comes as no surprise that the apocalypse would start in Camden first… Proud Camden host their End of the World Party (7pm to 2.15am, entry £5) tonight (quick, run!), inviting guests to ‘rid their tainted souls of regret and repent’ with the help of a team of holy men roaming The Stables. In an effort to get those guilty secrets out and purge before we perish, the holy men will be handing out markers to help us all wear our confessions on our body and clothes. Counting down to looming doom, listen for the hourly air raid siren between 7 to 10pm signalling half an hour of half-price shots. Yikes.

On the big night itself, well trained in the art of the Doomsday preparations, the original The End of the World Party  (10.30pm to 3.30am) takes over Village Underground in Shoreditch. They are the self proclaimed experts in sending us all to another plane in style. With a DJ taking your last requests all night, a Last Wish Room where you can live out your wildest dreams and a dress code that encourages you to wear what you always wanted to but never dared, you’ll be in good company as we hurtle towards the end. Better dig out that leopard print jumpsuit I thought would be a good idea then…

Celebrate your last night on earth in the relative safety of your home. Well, not your home, but Netil House as they transform their East End warehouse into a haven of home comforts to ease us all into the end for the Netil House Party (until 4am, entry £5). Chill out in the lounge, hang out with the cool kids in the garden and dance away on the dance floor to the likes of Urban Nerd’s Rattus Rattus and the aptly named We Go Bang Bang, without fear of spilled drinks and unfortunate carpet stains.

No one knows how it’s all going to end, whether it be asteroids, great chasms in the earth, Biblical floods or plagues, or simply a quiet implosion that turns off the proverbial lights. But Mad Ferret Productions have a solution for all circumstances – you’re all invited to hop aboard Noah’s Psychedelic Dream Boat (until 4am, entry £15), an Ark where we can seek salvation from the storm. Mooring at Hoxton Docks, the Psychedelic Dream Boat offers immersive, interactive and experimental experiences for all with live theatre, arts, incredible set and visuals to a deep house and disco beat. For added Ark authenticity, and practical post-apocalypse preparations, all shipmates will be assigned a psychedelic animal to dress as upon purchasing their ticket – so we can be sure all bases are covered.

So there you have it, a selection of London’s finest offerings to see us off with a bang and a beer in hand. And if (when) we do all wake up on Saturday 22 December, at least we can be happy feeling we gave it our all – just to be on the safe side.

Disclaimer: The London Word will be in no way responsible for any overzealous ‘last-night-on-earth’ shenanigans, attempts at wish fulfilment or ill advised outfit choices that will remain forever documented and return to haunt you when the world (doesn’t) end. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…