For many UF students, Thursday nights meant one thing: line dancing at Vivid Music Hall. No group chat needed, no second-guessing the plan — just grab your boots and go.
“As soon as we hear a song that we know, we all go to the dance floor and just do it,” said Kendall Huerta, a 19-year-old UF animal sciences freshman.
But this semester, that routine has become unpredictable.
Vivid Music Hall no longer guarantees line dancing every Thursday, replacing some nights with other events and leaving regulars double-checking the schedule before they practice their two-step.
For many UF students, Vivid isn’t just another night out.
Huerta said she’s been line dancing at Vivid since her first week of classes. Now, she looks for the schedule on Instagram every week before making plans. Twice within the past six weeks, she said, line dancing has been canceled due to a private event.
The reliability of Thursday night line dancing made it easier for large groups to coordinate going out together. Huerta said most college students are very busy people, but her friend group consistently scheduled their weeks around line dancing, despite the demands of school.
She said disappointment ensues when “the whole group is able to go out, and then we check and my main thing's not there.”
Beyond entertainment, Huerta said she’s made many friends at Vivid she may not have otherwise met, and the community brings people from different majors and backgrounds together.
“I love Vivid,” Huerta said. “I would just probably ask that they keep the crowd that goes out line dancing in mind when they do these private events.”
Vivid Music Hall did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent last week through its website contact form and direct messages to its Instagram account.
For Sally Walser, a 20-year-old UF political science and criminology senior, Thursday nights at Vivid have been a constant in her collegiate life.
“I’ve gone to line dancing at Vivid since the beginning of freshman year,” Walser said. “It’s definitely been a staple of college for me.”
She described the atmosphere as distinctly wholesome and family-friendly compared to other Midtown or downtown venues.
“It’s always been very welcoming, very calm, very fun,” Walser said. “I think that’s something that is really important to have, especially because it's bonding over something so random, but fun.”
Several students said they’ve noticed the inconsistency in Thursday night line dancing over the past year, and it has especially increased this semester.
“It's pretty random,” Walser said, “and I think that's the problem with it, because you don't really know.”
Walser recalled arriving at Vivid one Thursday night expecting to dance. She said her group had talked about going all week and had set plans, but upon arrival saw no line outside and a sign indicating there was no line dancing. It was only then they realized the event had been replaced.
“It was really bad in that moment. … We were just dejected,” she said.
The group ultimately went home.
Walser said she worries new students won’t be able to experience the same weekly tradition she has for the past three years.
According to Megan Williamson, a 21-year-old UF graphic design senior, the space has grown with her over time.
“Thinking about sophomore year and going in there and not knowing anyone, to now senior year and being like, ‘Oh, I know all these faces,’” she said. “I've learned so many more dances.”
For Williamson, the disappointment of planning to go line dancing – only to learn it was replaced by another event – is making her consider trying alternative country-themed bars and line dancing venues, especially if there’s consistent replacement events.
Alejandro Taveras, a 21-year-old UF tourism, hospitality and event management senior, said Vivid is one of the only places he goes out to.
“Regular bars are kind of nasty,” he said. “If you’re not there trying to get with people or trying to get drunk, there’s not really anything to do, whereas with line dancing, there’s always something to do.”
One of the things Taveras said he appreciates most about Vivid Thursday nights is the community. No matter how good or bad someone is at dancing, he said attendees will find “immediate, built-in friends there.”
“Everyone that I've really talked to, anyone who's a regular there's been really nice,” Taveras said.
Still, most students emphasized that they do not want to abandon Vivid. If consistency returns, they plan to continue supporting the venue and showing up on Thursday nights when possible.
Hailey Kon is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
