"Experiment": Alcohol-Free Dance, Art & Community as part of The Metanoia Series in the Festival of Chichester

What is "Experiment" and where did it come from?

In a nutshell, Experiment is an alcohol-free electronic dance music party, infused with digital art and creative workshops. It’s designed to bring people together and enable an organic unfolding of inspiration and creativity.

Ben Williams, the creative brain behind Experiment, started his journey on the dance floor in the 1990s. Ben says:

“I was excited by electronic dance music back in the nineties. Everything changed from indie to dance music. I found rave parties and loved dancing.”

After taking a break while raising his children, Ben later discovered that the dance music scene had flourished. He realised he wanted to move from the dance floor into something more expressive, and so his DJ career began.

“I wanted to be more selective about what I was playing, and the best way to do that was running my own night.”

Ben jumped open heartedly into the opportunity of putting on his own dance music event called Experiment becoming part of his curated Metanoia Series in the wider Festival of Chichester 2025.

Including an electronic dance music party like Experiment in the Festival of Chichester felt important, to widen the diversity of what was on offer. Ben’s own experience of living in Chichester highlighted an unrepresented section of the community: people who love dance music and simply want to dance. The question was whether this community would actually show up.

The Underpinning of Creativity

The idea was to showcase contemporary culture and the underlying principle of creativity, something alive and constantly evolving. Experiment is about bringing people together who are innovating on that creative edge.

It’s both a platform and a playground, offering artists and participants alike a feast for the senses: an immersive experience that experiments with sensory input. It encourages engagement from the outside world, while also giving participants the environment to go deeply inward.

At the Assembly Rooms

Experiment was hosted at The Assembly Rooms in Chichester. The grandeur of the venue felt audacious with its vast, open space. It created an unusual juxtaposition: a town hall meets rave.

There were two strands: a Friday night event, and a Saturday programme running into the evening.

Friday night: Dancers moved with the ebb and flow of the music and the shifting energy in the room. The sheer size of the space meant it took time to feel intimate, a learning point for future events.

Saturday afternoon: Creative workshops created a more reflective, intellectual atmosphere. The clay workshop generated a real buzz, while a pre-loved clothing sale enticed passers-by into the venue.

Saturday evening: Billed as a family rave, the atmosphere shifted again. Children who had been waiting in the afternoon exploded with excitement as the music started, running wild and expressing themselves. Later, the crowd transitioned to an older demographic. With the hot weather, the music spilled outside.

Artists were integral to the journey

To enhance the immersive nature of the event, several artists were invited to experiment with their own unique styles and explore how their work interacted with the audience.

Samuel McGann sketched people live on his iPad as they danced, projecting the evolving artwork onto a large screen. This gave a sense of wonder and people were transfixed by the immediacy of art created in real time on the big screen.

Sarah Arnett filled the venue with expansive digital projections. Chris Womble introduced an interactive sound sculpture; an instrument that cannot play a wrong note, designed for non-musicians to feel for themselves the satisfaction of creating music.

The decision to weave visual art into the event elevated the atmosphere, creating a more immersive and multi-sensory experience with the music. It’s an angle with real potential to develop in future events.

The Audience Experience

The music spanned a wide range of genres, from afro-house to drum & bass, deliberately curated to shape the audience’s experience, moving them physically, emotionally, and intellectually through the event. Different rhythms and styles create different effects on the body, and this is the essence of the experiment behind Experiment.

Reflecting on the role of such events in the future of community arts and music, Ben explains:

“I think it bodes very well. There’s an activist quality to it which is interesting. Ideally, what we want to do is give people voices so that it’s not escapism, but relevant”.

It’s human nature to have concerns and worries about our lives, the value of a community is to have the space to share those concerns, observations and hopes. Experiment seeks out the sweet spot; not weighed down by anxiety and worry, yet not lost in empty escapism either. Instead, it offers a place for purposeful play. This might seem an impossible balance, but one worth reaching for. Experiment enables exploration of this and is welcomed in this uncertain world.

The Alcohol Free Approach

Part of Experiment was to ask the question, what is truly intoxicating and uplifting? Is it possible to reach a higher state of liberation without intoxicants, such as alcohol?

Alcohol slows down the central nervous system, leading to a temporary sense of relaxation and euphoria, but often followed by negative after-effects. Its depressant nature makes that euphoria short-lived.

Experiment explored whether it’s possible to reach a deeper state of joy and liberation by connecting with others and dancing without intoxicants.

Research supports the link between dance and ecstatic states of mind regardless of alcohol or recreational drugs. Studies show that rhythmic music between 120-150 bpm (beats per minute) can influence brain activity and be a potential catalyst for trance-like states. Add to this the inherent uplift of connecting and dancing together, and the formula for experiencing euphoria becomes clear:

It’s not alcohol or drugs that create joy at a dance event. It’s the collective experience, the letting go, and the music itself. The letting go, gives permission for others to do the same; creating a contagious joyful energy and atmosphere.

Creating a space where alcohol is deliberately absent shifts the agenda entirely. The goal of going out becomes less about ‘getting wasted’ and more about discovery, connection, presence, heightened awareness, and the joy in simply being together.

Self-Enquiry and Discovery

Ben is aware that Experiment is not meant to prescribe outcomes. Instead, he wants it to create an empty space of potential, a place of discovery in community and creativity.

Participation in Experiment naturally invites self-enquiry. By choosing to step into the experience, people are challenged to face themselves and their intuition.

Whether someone decides the event is ‘for them’ or not, the act of discernment becomes empowering. It’s not about joining in because it’s expected, it’s about choice. Perhaps the experience can create a life-enhancing environment, offering vitality, stronger presence, and a deeper sense of personal clarity.

Inclusivity and no age restriction

Experiment was intentionally inclusive. Where exclusivity often divides, Experiment created a space where everyone could contribute, including young people. Children brought their own energy and creativity, which potentially inspired adults. The interaction across generations makes the space more vibrant, alive and safer.

Creating a safe environment is essential for people to feel free and let go. When participants see others expressing themselves openly, it gives them permission to do the same. This collective freedom of expression became a central part of the Experiment experience.

It becomes a safe container to explore the possibility of more joy.

Impact and the future of Experiment

Experiment has been a catalyst for new trajectories for the people involved:

A dance event on an Iron Age hill fort; an up-levelling of commercial art opportunities for participating artists; the opportunity to realise creative dreams.

The ripple effect of passion and empowerment are tangible. For some, the event was simply about dancing; for others, it was a springboard into creativity they may never have explored otherwise.

The event’s sense of purpose, rebellion, and encouragement of self-expression created powerful release and connection. It reaffirmed the value of joy and creativity as catalysts for wider community change.

Community, connection, and inspiration lie at the heart of Experiment and the wider Metanoia Series. It seems that alcohol-free dance parties can spark fresh ideas and open up possibilities for natural solutions to bigger challenges. Coming together explores what collaboration creates, and how joy can ripple out into the wider fabric of life. Experiment offers the freedom to gently push against the mainstream, within a trusted space that enriches both individuals and the collective.

If this is what emerges from an Experiment event, then that is surely a sign of success.

Looking Ahead

Ben’s vision is to build on this momentum, creating separate events and as part of The Metanoia Series at the Festival of Chichester. The aim is for regular, monthly, multi-location events. To build opportunities for more enjoyment, freedom of expression and the weaving together of diverse people and ideas.

Experiment will continue to support creativity and exploration, not just for guest artists but for participants too, and that feels valuable.

Experiment is an open, safe space for expression and all that means. Each event will be unique, though over time recurring themes may surface, creating new threads of shared meaning.

In times of uncertainty and unrest, events like Experiment feel not only valuable but necessary. The ripples may prove deeper and more profound than we can yet imagine, and that is an exciting prospect.