I went to every Fruity for a month as a fourth year

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly embarrassed

2 years ago

Prior to this great feat, I’d only visited Fruity once (in March 2o20). I was visiting a friend and it was my last night out before the pandemic struck. Therefore, with the announcement nearly two years later that all rules, including self-isolation, are no longer in place in England, I thought it was fitting that I return.

Now studying in Leeds as a postgraduate, I’d heard a lot more about Fruity than I knew back in 2020 when I was an imposter from the Uni of Nottingham. But I wanted to know if the rumours are indeed true, and there was only one way to find out…

February 4th

I went to a friend of a friend’s pres where I had a great time, before heading to Fruity with a friend and her two housemates. I stepped into Stylus and immediately wanted to walk back out. Freshers holding VKs EVERYWHERE. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I followed my group into the so-called “pit” and it seemed like everyone in the club had the same idea, because it was BUSY. From my hair being tugged to being shoved across the circle, it really wasn’t the vibe I was wanting. I lasted less than an hour and ended up in Crispys with a friend.

February 18th

Maybe it was a one-off? I returned, hopeful. In a spate of real fresher behaviour, I’d already been to Mischief this same week. I went to a large pres at my friend’s for one of her housemate’s birthday, and once again had an amazing time. A huge group of us arrived at Fruity to hoards of students queueing outside. As seems to be a theme with Fruity recently, the fire alarm had gone off.

After a long wait, everyone was let back into the club, and it was the BEST NIGHT EVER. I think being in a big group definitely helped and we also stayed out of the pit. Also, I discovered there’s actually more than one room?!

February 25th

It wasn’t until 9pm that evening that I bought my ticket after some persuasion. I went to swimming society’s pres, which was great fun, then headed to Fruity. It was an incredible night. Once again, I was in a big group, which definitely helps. We spent most the night in the main room by the first balcony that looks down onto the pit, so there was no shoving. And to top it off, I bumped into the friends I had been with the previous two weeks!

March 4th

I was in Headrow House when we decided that we’d buy Fruity tickets at 11pm. After two great weeks, I was actually excited; however, unfortunately I was let down. Having bigged up Fruity to my fellow fourth years, I was mildly embarrassed when we turned up and it was packed to the point it was hard to enjoy. Having said that, I did last until 3:30am… so it can’t have been too awful.

If the balcony was this packed, imagine the pit!

To conclude…

Fruity may be a bit hit and miss, it can get busy and sometimes you can feel like you’re the only non-fresher there. The music is mostly pop with a hint of cheese, and that’s not for everyone.

However, ultimately I’d say Fruity is a great event for a spur of the moment Friday night out. It’s quite easy to get tickets, cheap, and you can walk there and back from Hyde Park (so you save on Ubers). It has a cloakroom, which I really appreciated, and plenty of toilets, so you’re never queuing. I’d advise going in a bigger group, and after all, I believe it’s the people you’re with that make the night.