Hardhouse Academy 2008

A History of Hard House Academy

Hard House Academy is an institution (no, not the kind where they lock crazy people…though there are some similarities). It’s a clubbing institution, a place for unrivalled madness, incredible music and unbeatable atmosphere.



It’s the biggest hard dance event in the world. 4 rooms, a balcony, 9 bars, winner of many awards for Best Venue amongst other things…I could go on but the only way to really appreciate how huge and how imposing the venue is, is to see it for yourself.

It really is impossible to imagine being surrounded by 4499 other hard dance maniacs until you’ve been there. In the main room, all you can see is a sea of people with their hands in the air.

The venue itself is beautiful, having been transformed from a 20’s theatre. It’s the biggest club venue in the capital. As you walk in it boasts art deco staircases either side of a grand foyer. The main auditorium has Europe’s largest fixed stage (yet somehow the DJ’s manage not to look lost on there!) as well as a sloping floor and huge domed ceiling. The décor is done to look as though you’re in an Italian garden, with statues, clouds and magnificent columns. There’s a balcony up above so you can sit & watch the action below. Upstairs you have the corridor and VIP room.



So, how does Hard House Academy make this place its own? Over the 8 years that it’s been running there have been 18 editions and every single one has been sold out. If that doesn’t show the power of hard dance I don’t know what would.
HHA is the longest running club event to be held at the Academy.



The foyer has always been given over to the filthiest hard house, with the very best talent – like Farley, Glazby, Karim – playing over the years. This has made it famous in its own right, with many people coming just for the foyer, not leaving the whole night (handily there are toilets & bars where you can still hear the foyer music) and going home broken in the morning!



HHA is very popular with Dutch hard dance lovers, with 5 trips made to HHA from Holland with 250 crazy clubbers on board! HHA even went head to head with Dutch hard dance event HQ in 2006.

People travel from all over the world to take in the spectacle of HHA – from Miami, Norway and even as far as Australia (on the Steve Hill Jet no doubt).

For whatever reason, people seem to go more crazy, have more fun and have better memories from Hard House Academy events than from any other club night.



There was the time that the girls with giant water pistols sprayed the main room crowd with water, the DJ careers that were made by gigs at the Academy, the hard house conga, the couples that met & fell in love there and the hundreds of lasting friendships that began on that sloping dance floor.

It’s even had its own CD – 1 of the 3 CDs on the Hard Dance Revolution album that was released last year was dedicated to HHA and mixed by Lisa Pin-Up, Steve Hill and Andy Whitby, all of whom have played storming main room sets over the years.

The venue comes as dry hire, which means that the Frantic team have to supply all the décor, sound, lighting for the night. The effort that they put in to making the place look like something from another world is quite simply amazing! The inflatables, the lasers, and this year the theme…shortly to be revealed!

As HHA started in October 2000, 18th October’s event will be its 8th birthday; time for a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday I think!



I could write about Hard House Academy all day but nothing compares to actually being there. I’m equally terrified and thrilled to be involved in HHA for the first time after being present as a clubber at so many of the events over the last few years. I’m thrilled because this is easily the most exciting & the biggest event I could be involved in, and I’m terrified because it’s such a huge undertaking! A lot of hard work has already gone into this party, and we’re looking forward to putting even more in over the next 3 months.

So 3 months today I’ll be biting my nails, running around like a lunatic and generally getting more excited than I’ve ever been before! And I hope I’ll see you all there…