IF you have seen one club night, it is fair to believe you have probably seen them all.

But that could not be further from the truth for IllumiNaughty, which succeeded in its mission to continually wow throughout its Halloween event Day of the Dead.

And the surprises started as you walked up the dark street towards Bowlers Exhibition Centre, located slap bang in the middle of Trafford Park, Manchester.

Two vertical strips of flashing light guided you towards the grand entrance – unveiling a reverse bungee illuminated in all its glory flinging brave partygoers up into the sky as the outdoor crowds sat looking up in awe.

The spooky theme was represented in revellers’ creatively gory costumes, zombies being the most popular, complete with the essential glowsticks. It was like stepping into Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but set at a house of horrors-style carnival.

Walking into the main entrance you came face to face with a hall of mirrors, adding to the circus feel, which continued further into the multi-room venue as top DJ acts including Krafty Kutz, Calyx & Teebee and Skazi pumped out their set to – literally – thousands of spectators.

Go Pro cameras captured the event’s unique party atmosphere – making the dressed up ghouls (us) the stars of the show alongside the event’s own characters, such as the crazy doctor trying to control a raft of zombies infiltrating the proceedings, as well as stiltwalkers, dancers, performers and the event’s signature goblins.

As you walked through the catacombs to each room, the atmosphere kept the same level of vibrancy and energy, and despite the venue’s size, none of the rooms ever felt empty.

You can tell organisers Visual Architects are masters of their craft. The intricate ultraviolet decorations that adorned the venue created a party atmosphere unlike any other, and the impressive management of music levels made sure that each room did not affect the next room's experience.

One thing that IllumiNaughty has struggled with in the past is the length of time it takes to queue up, get searched and get in. But the organisers have nailed it.

A ticket check, bag search and metal detector flashed past as you took in your remarkable outdoor surroundings, including circus performers, food stalls, chill out tent, the aforementioned bungee and an inviting sound of bass tempting you inside the venue.

It was just like a summer music festival – helped by the unseasonably warm weather.

The drink token service managed to speed things up at the bar and no one waited more than a few minutes to get their beverage of choice. The only downside was that at four tokens per drink (£4), when you bought a batch of 10 you had a surplus two left, prompting you to have to buy more than you may have wanted to.

The biggest surprise (and a highlight) of the night was a fantastic brass band playing ska-laced tunes in the Forbidden Jungle room to a joyous crowd that was happy to switch from skanking to headbanging when they played Black Sabbath’s Paranoid. Another surprise were the delightful indoor bumper cars next to the Temple room.

It has been a tough decade for club nights, so it is good to see that such an ambitious event is not only still going after 10 years, but also evolving cleverly with its audience.

It will be exciting to see what (circus) tricks IllumiNaughty has up its sleeve in the future.

Vickie Scullard