The light-up dance floor is over a century old, but its widespread use, popularity and availability to hire is inextricably linked to a film, a music genre and a movement that was impossible to escape and continues to inspire events to this day.
Whilst Chicago’s Via Lago Cafe was the earliest-known illuminated dance floor in existence, the first one that comes to mind for a lot of people was seen on the silver screen.
The 1977 film Saturday Night Fever was instrumental not only in popularising disco music but also in codifying the look of the discotheque in the eyes of millions of people.
This included the bright, vivid and flashing light-up dance floor that was as much of a standout performer as John Travolta himself, emphasising every move and capturing the vibe perfectly.
The look of the film and the disco floor in particular was credited to director John Badham, a relative unknown at the time, who only received the job because Rocky director John G. Avildsen was dismissed due to disagreements over the film’s concept.
The main centrepiece of the film, the 2001 Odyssey Disco in Brooklyn, was a real club but had been extensively modified thanks to a visit Mr Badham made to Birmingham, Alabama, leading to a $15,000 dance floor to be put in, according to Vanity Fair.
The inspiration in question was allegedly The Club, a private dinner club on Red Mountain, which had a dance floor with coloured lights.
The effects of Saturday Night Fever were explosive, to say the least. It became a gigantic critical and commercial success, introducing the world to a very particular disco aesthetic.
The disco ball, the light-up floors and smoky clubs became cultural touchstones that endured even after disco itself became unpopular.
Whilst several clubs had pioneered the use of light-up dance floors, Saturday Night Fever made it mainstream, and nightlife has not been the same since.