Experience the thrill of dancing with a crowd in the bathtub without disturbing the neighbours.

Ever since Japanese homes started including private washroom facilities in their design, the country’s public bath houses, or sento, have been slowly declining, with some even turning their premises into restaurants instead.

As Japan’s traditional sento culture faces dire straits, owners are looking for ways to bring people back to the bath house, and one unusual concept that’s proving to be popular is the silent dance party, which comes complete with flashing lights and mirrors, and a DJ to get the crowd going with beats sent wirelessly to their headphones.

The silent festival, or Silent Fes., as it’s being called by its producers at event planning company Ozone, is becoming more and more popular in densely populated areas like Tokyo. With so many venues and event spaces in close proximity to residential buildings, these silent dance festivals are a great way to get people together to enjoy music anywhere, without disturbing the neighbours.

In January, the Silent Fes. organisers took over the Hinode public bathhouse in Tokyo for their first silent disco, and following its success, they now have another event lined up at the same venue for June this year.

Take a look at scenes from the January event here:

Called “Dance Furoya“, which is a pun on the phrase “Dance Floor“, the “Silent Fes. at Sento” event will be held in the the male and female bathing areas from 7:00-11:30 p.m. on 14 June. The bathtubs will be emptied and the water disconnected during this period, so guests can dance to their heart’s content inside the tubs without having to worry about slipping and sliding on the tiled floors.

This time, the event will even include projection mapping, and stalls selling sake and merchandise to add to the ambience of the experience. Tickets include headphone rental and “bathing fee”, or entrance fee, and can be purchased in advance here for 3,000 yen (US$26.50), or at the door on the day for 3,500 yen, in the case that tickets haven’t sold out.

Event information
Silent Fes. in Sento / サイレントフェスin銭湯
Hinode-yu / 日の出湯
Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Moto Asakusa 2-10-5
東京都台東区元浅草２丁目１０−５
Website (Japanese)

Source, images: PR Times