Raves Are Being Used To Help Clean War Effected Ukrainian Houses And Towns

Months after  a building in Northern Ukraine was bombed out by a Russian invasion, over 200 people have attended clean-up rave in the space.

Yahidne was hit hard by the early days of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, so many punters have entered the city in an attempt to rebuild and clean their cultural centre. While they were doing so, a local DJ performed nearby.

The clean-up rave initiative has been created by young Ukrainians to aid the recovery effort in the city.

As the party went on, volunteer punters entered the space with shovels and tossed piles of debris into a tractor as a result of a rocket strike in the area in March. 

"Techno parties, especially rave festivals, it was our lifestyle before, when we met with friends and spent time," one of the groups many organisers said.

"Last summer, every weekend festivals (were) here in Ukraine, in Kyiv. So, we miss it and we want to come back to normal life but our normal life now is volunteering."

Before invasion, Ukraine was host to a thriving club scene, which was quickly halted on the 24th of February. A night-time curfew was introduced in the main city of Kyiv, and have since utilised party culture to rebuild homes.

The majority of the punters arrived from Kyiv which was about two hours' drive away, as well as nearby Chernihiv and the Western city of Lviv. Some foreign volunteers also attended the party from Portugal, the United Stated, Germany and all across Europe.

The most recent clean up was their eighth event so far, having restored the village centre and fifteen other homes.