If you haven’t heard, a dedicated Drake appreciation night called Drakefest has been popping up at clubs around the world. On Wednesday night, the party will land at Story Rooftop Lounge in Dubai, free of charge.
Sadly, the Canadian rapper himself won’t be around to show off his geekified dance moves — but hundreds of his fans will come together to appreciate his music and ogle cardboard cut-outs of him.
“About a week ago in Chicago was the first one. That was followed by Vancouver,” said Scott Charlton, general manager of Story Rooftop Lounge. “Most of them are in the United States, but they have events planned in Sydney and Melbourne, a couple in the UK as well.”
Attendees will be handed a Drake mask and sticker upon entry. Inside, they have “a few surprises planned.” What’s not-so-surprising? The soundtrack to the evening.
“It’ll be 75 to 80 per cent Drake music. I don’t know if he has enough songs to fill our entire night, so the other 20-25 per cent will be a similar type of genre [and] R’n’B, but primarily Drake,” assured Charlton.
The tribute fest was put together by a small Irish group that Charlton refers to as Davy Levy Entertainment. Originally, they wanted to secure a Thursday night venue in Dubai, but settled for a Wednesday night availability. Despite it being on a school day, the 21+ event has racked up a massive amount of interest online.
The Facebook guest list had to be shut after 400 sign-ups, said Charlton, and the email guest list had about 50 spots left on Sunday
“Of course, some people are not going to show, [which is] always the case at a free guest list. It will be at capacity for sure,” said Charlton.
Indoors, the lounge can hold 500 people, and outdoors, somewhere between 200-250. There will be two queues at the event, though the guest list queue will take priority.
“We’ve informed everyone on the guest list to arrive before 11.30pm, just so they don’t miss out. If we do get towards capacity, then it’s going to be disappointing for some people,” said Charlton.
But if a Drake theme doesn’t tickle your fancy, fear not. The global organisers have already announced a second round of events by the name of Jay vs Bey (Jay Z vs Beyonce).
“You sort of pick your team upon entry,” said Charlton. “They’ve already announced follow-up events in Chicago. I’m not sure if that will come to Dubai. We’ll see.”
*Call 055-7730010 or email yourstory@storydubai.com.
