(Image Credits: Unsplash)
Over the past few months, York has been bombarded with Love Island stars and TikTok influencers, boosting sales to the city’s most famous clubs.
Most recently, messy girl and fish whisperer Danibabes graced us with her presence in Salvos to kick off refreshers weekend. Her presence had the majority of campus raving and tickets sold out as everyone wanted to meet the TikTok star.
Scenes from social media showcase how the atmosphere in the club changed dramatically from the usual Friday night scenes. Rather than a multitude of small groups dancing back to back, the crowd were all focussed on the DJ booth attempting to get a glimpse of the influencer.
York has also had its fair share of Love Island stars gracing us in our clubs. Harrison Solomon, famously known as the ‘Young Bull’ from Love Island 2025 and this year’s current All Stars, was the main attraction in Flares on the 17th October 2025. Fresh out of the villa it appears he wasn’t ready for his fame to dim, clinging onto public appearances to try to stay relevant before his return to South Africa for his second attempt at love.
It begs the question: are these influencers visiting students to stay relevant and keep the cashflow steady or because they want to meet their fans?
Other stars, like Big John and Nicole Mura, have appeared in Ziggy’s behind the DJ booth and staging meet and greet photo ops at the back of the club.
With the influx of influencers arriving in York, nightlife is inevitably changing. Students are going to the club for a chance to be noticed by their favourite influencers rather than to have a drink and dance with their mates.
With Love Island All Stars coming to an end, we can likely expect more islanders headlining club nights.
It is apparent that nightlife is changing in York, with influencers starring as the headline event of the night. But with the abundance of different clubs in York, if the new scene doesn’t appeal to you, you can still escape to the standard clubbing environment.
The surge in influencer appearances in our clubs is still one to question. What do they get out of seeing a bunch of young drunk students on their weekends?