Books / News
Bristol’s first ‘Reading Rave’
A rave with a difference has taken place, with repetitive beats replaced by riveting books.
This was Bristol’s first ever ‘Reading Rave’, with dozens of people switching off their phones and reading together for one hour in silence.
The event had been organised by the Offline Club, a movement “encouraging screen-free time, real-world connection and a slower way of life”.
Dozens of people gathered for the event on Observatory Hill on Sunday afternoon, with the Clifton Suspension Bridge the backdrop to an afternoon of becoming buried in a book.
George Gane, co-founder of the Bristol chapter of the Offline Club, called the Reading Rave “a massive juxtaposition”.
Gane said: “We are bringing together dozens and dozens of people to switch off their phones for an hour together and to simply read, to get lost in their books in a shared silence.
“I think people are suffering slightly from digital fatigue, we all feel the pressure to be contactable and online, and I know from experience that when people try to switch off and go offline at home it is hard.
“There’s something about being surrounded by other people doing a similar thing which means that people are really keen to come together and enjoy a shared silence.”
The ‘Reading Rave’ took place on Observatory Hill on Sunday afternoon – photo: Rob Browne
Main photo: Rob Browne; video: Martin Booth
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