One of the best ways to transform a function room and make a celebration even more special is by installing a light-up glass dance floor, to not only brighten up any event but also inspire everyone to get up and dance the night away.
The light-up dance floor, particularly those with elaborate patterns and multiple colours, was undoubtedly popularised by the 1977 classic film Saturday Night Fever.
However, despite making them a must-have in every discotheque in the world, they were far from the first to do it. The director claimed to have been inspired by a supper club in Birmingham, Alabama, but there were illuminated floors as early as the 1920s.
Chicago’s Via Lago Cafe, described as America’s “Beauty Spot”, was far ahead of its time, offering dinner in the evening followed by spending the rest of the night on a vibrant dance floor listening to the best of jazz-era live music.
A contemporary review praised the music of Earl Hoffman, the colourful surroundings, the relatively low prices and the floor in a book by John Drury reviewing dining spots in Chicago in the 1930s..
A 1944 colour postcard shows just how vivid the dance floor was, even if it was reliant on multicoloured incandescent light bulbs rather than the more versatile LEDs that are seen with our dance floors today.
Very little evidence of the Via Lago Cafe still exists, so it is unclear what happened to it past the 1940s or whether it survived long enough to enjoy the resurgence of the bright dance floor that came thanks to the disco boom.
Perhaps it was too far ahead of its time, or maybe the concept fell behind the curve, as requiring an array of big, energy-intensive incandescent bulbs would likely have a noticeable effect on a restaurant’s overheads.
Regardless, it proved to be an inspiration for an entire generation of bright and beautiful dance floors that populate events to this day.