Having recently secured its second-year residency at the iconic Corsica Studios, queer kink rave Joyride is taking London by storm. The Sunday sex party is led by and champions Irish talent, from the organisers to the furniture designers, DJs and workshop facilitators.

At the helm is Irish sex educator MJ Fox alongside Mancunian DJ Lydia Fikan, whose nan is also from Tipperary!

“Joyride was born from a shared passion of ours to throw a party and build a community celebrating sexual expression, queerness and rave culture,” MJ told GCN.

“We put on events for the queer and sex-positive, bringing together anyone interested in exploring their sexuality, queerness, alternative relationship style and ways of connecting.”

 

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The Joyride dancefloor is a place of liberation and empowerment. They encourage partygoers to leave everything at the door, including their everyday wear.

“The dress code is fetish/kink but we encourage people to get more colourful and creative with their lewks. And they always deliver,” MJ says.

“The Sunday day party slot means people tend to approach the rave with intentionality. Getting less wrecked and more open to connecting with one another,” she continues.

“We have two playrooms kitted out with kink furniture and sex machines. One of which was designed by Irish Soho House Interior designer Domhnall Nolan. Domhnall’s bespoke collection for us marries the worlds of kink, aesthetics and design – not often a feature of the dark room.”

 

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Being housed in Corsica Studios, thought to be one of the best clubs in the world, music programming is an important feature of the event. MJ explains that they book the best DJs from the UK, Ireland and beyond, with a special interest in platforming queer and femme artists.

Joyride recently added a new resident DJ to its team, namely eoin dj. Based in London but hailing from the west of Ireland, Eoin is said to be a rising star who draws from all hues of the dance music spectrum, including psychedelic techno, indulgent hard house, rolling progressive cuts and understated trance numbers stitched around dreamy breakbeats, pumping acid and sub-heavy dub freak outs.

When asked why platforming Irish talent is so important for Joyride, MJ responded: “As one of our DJs said recently ‘Did you know Ireland’s biggest export was hot queers?’”

She continued, “There’s something very beautiful and powerful in a country long associated with sexual conservatism, prudism and shame to have produced so many phenomenally talented and open-minded queer artists. As organisers, it’s a privilege to give these creates an opportunity and platform to do their thing.”

 

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A Dublin gal herself, MJ is keen to bring Joyride overseas. She explained: “We’d love to absolutely love to bring our events to Ireland within the year. The queer scene, rave scene and people interested in exploring kink and sex parties all appear to be popping off. It’s only a matter of time.”

Further hinting at this prospect, when asked what people can look forward to from Joyride’s second year of operations, MJ stated: “World domination…(Which is to say we’re going international)”.

Alongside their Sunday parties, Joyride also hosts a regular cultural programme of sex-positive gatherings that go beyond the rave scene. These include workshops on themes like non-monogamy, femme domming, and Sibari Japanese rope bondage (led by Conor Aphilia, another Irish collaborator), as well as markets, performances and more. 

Joyride is hosting several exciting events throughout the summer. For further information, check out their socials.