Starkers! is a monthly

naked Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...

club night held at various

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s and

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s in London from 2003 onwards. It identifies itself as the first and only regular club night of its kind in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

not segregated by gender and open to adults of all ages and

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...

s. The dress code stipulates that both men and women undress except for footwear, required for safety. The

undress code An undress code is a social norm which sets an upper limit on the amount of clothing that can or should be worn. Promoters of the entertainment industry, including sport, attempt to "sex-up" the entertainment by under-dressing the entertainer ...

extends to staff members who identify as nudists. The concept of ''Starkers!'' emerged from the underground fetish and swinger scenes of

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

in late 2003, when a nude barman at such an establishment launched the event after suggestions from co-workers and club patrons. An early event was featured in an edition of

H&E naturist ''H&E naturist'' (originally ''Health and Efficiency'') is a 92-page monthly commercial magazine focusing on the naturist lifestyle, through articles on travel, health and culture, as well as various features on arts and books with a naked them ...

magazine in 2004. Later in 2004, the event moved to a pub near Columbia Road in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

, where it rapidly gained a following among the

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

community. After police prevented the club continuing at its then home, ''Starkers!'' relocated to a nightclub in

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

. In summer 2006, the event moved to a venue close to

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

, where it entertained up to 400 naked clubbers every month. In 2007 the event was again forced to close, after a Scottish newspaper story. ''Starkers!'' moved to a

lap dancing A lap dance (or contact dance) is a type of erotic dance performance offered in many strip clubs in which the dancer typically has body contact with a seated patron. Lap dancing is different from table dance, table dancing, in which the dancer ...

venue in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

in late 2007, where it remained for several months. In summer 2008, the club relocated to Vauxhall, where it remained until late 2010. Between 2012 and 2014 the club was in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas i ...

. The club was closed from 2014 until 2023, when it re-opened at a venue close to Kings Cross underground station. Many of the club's patrons had lamented the lack of options, particularly after the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, which had seen many events like this close permanently. ''Starkers!'' came second in ''Club of the Year'' in the 2006 Erotic Awards.2006 Erotic Awards

References

Nightclubs in London Clothing-free events Recurring events established in 2003 2003 establishments in England Club nights Streaking

External links

Event website
{{London-stub