In the United Kingdom, the choice of the authorities who manage Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest in the United Kingdom and a UNESCO heritage site, to host a series of “silent disco” events was highly contested: they are parties in which the cathedral is illuminated with colored lights and the people inside are dancing while all listening to the same music with headphones. In fact, however, these parties are not exactly silent: even if there is no music on the speakers, people sing and shout quite loudly.
Similar parties have also been organized in other cathedrals and historic buildings both in the United Kingdom and in other European countries: two more are planned in the coming months, themed around the Eighties and Nineties, in two other English cathedrals.
Those who organize this type of event consider them a way to make historic buildings or places of worship more attractive for younger generations, but many oppose it and consider this type of initiative a violation of the sacredness of the places.
This is exactly what happened in Canterbury: four evenings of “silent disco” are planned, the first of which took place Thursday, with hundreds of people. In general, over the four evenings were registered 3mila people.
The Dean of Canterbury (the priest who administers the cathedral), David Monteith, said: «It doesn’t matter whether people choose to come to the cathedral as worshipers, visitors or participants in our events – which include classical music concerts, light installations and sound studios and artisan workshops – it is always a joy to see them discover this incredible place.” Monteith added that “there are different points of view on what is sacred or secular”, and that the organization of “silent disco” evenings would not compromise the safety and respect of the cathedral.
On the other hand, some members of the Church of England put together a petition in which they defined the “silent disco” evenings as “profane”, accused the authorities of not taking seriously the value of religious places such as the cathedral and they asked for the cancellation of this type of event.
A spokesperson for the group that organizes them, the Silent Discs in Incredible Placessaid that he has the “utmost respect” for the importance of the cathedral, that he understands people’s concerns about it, but that this type of celebration is aimed above all at encouraging “the meeting between people to sing the songs they love in a spectacular setting.”