​Kyiv clubs and promoters come together to launch UNight campaign

Clubs and promoters in Kyiv have come together to launch a new campaign encouraging sustainable development and protection of nightlife in the Ukrainian capital, UNight.

Described as a way to “defend the right to represent nightlife of the capital” including clubs, employees, promoters, artists, and attendees, UNight brings together some of Kyiv’s key players in nightlife.

Amongst those participating in the project are ∄ (K41), HVLV Bar, Keller, Sloi Bar, and Kyiv festivals Brudniy Pes (Dirty Dog) and Art is a Weapon.

UNight participants have raised more than 25 million Ukrainian hryvnias (£560,000) through events held since February 2022, in support of military and volunteering efforts.

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“The UNight project is dedicated to the night culture of Kyiv,” reads the UNight website. “On the basis of sustainable development and cooperation between institutions and the city, we are building a safer and more positive nightlife in Kyiv.”

The organisation aims to promote honesty, inclusivity, constancy, security, social responsibility, and openness, with emphasis on the development of culture by “determination of strategic goals, priorities, directions and specific projects that will contribute to the development of nightlife culture.”

UNight also aims to protect clubs and nightlife institutions in Kyiv, which were unable to open later than 12:AM due to strict policing after the war began, despite being legally allowed to do so.

"When we put our association together, we made a deliberate choice not to start from scratch but to draw inspiration from established exemplars such as the Berlin Clubcommission, NTIA UK, Bar & Club Kommission Zürich, MTL 24/24, and others," says head of UNight, Andy Yankovskyi.

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"Now, we are looking forward to connecting with these and similar organisations, nurturing collaborative initiatives, exchanging our experiences, and seamlessly integrating ourselves into the global nighttime community."

In late 2021, Kyiv venue HVLV was attacked by a far-right group, leaving the club in disrepair. It came after far-right groups in the city led a "crusade" against nightclubs that they accused of selling drugs in-house.

According to a witness of the HVLV incident, attackers "destroyed the bouncer’s vision with multiple bear spray attacks, beat him with a police baton", and then went on to shout homophobic and racist slurs and abuse outside the venue.

Find out more about Kyiv’s new UNight organisation here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter