A group of partygoers with a “genius” hack to help their friend get around the dress code at one of Manchester’s most popular bars have gone viral on social media.
In the short 14-second clip – which was posted to video-sharing platform TikTok by photographer and videographer Rachael Silvester (@rachsilvester) yesterday – one of the lads from the group appeared to have been denied entry to the city centre nightlife spot due to wearing a pair of white trainers that were not deemed suitable for the venue’s dress code.
After he was refused entry to the bar, one of the other members from the group of clever clubbers took her black socks off and helped to pull the socks over his trainers until it looked like he was wearing a completely different pair of shoes.
At the end of the video, the lad appears to have successfully got passed the bouncers and can be seen dancing the night away in his ‘new’ shoes.
The video caption read: “When the bouncers didn’t let you in because you wore white trainers.”
Although the the name of the venue was not revealed in the video itself, many locals identified the venue as the Manchester branch of popular restaurant and bar chain Revolucion de Cuba on Peter Street, and this was later confirmed by Rachael in the comments several times.
In less than 24-hours since posting, the video has racked up over one million views and close to 300 comments on TikTok.
The hack has been called “genius”, “iconic”, and the ideal example of “friendship” in the comments under the video, alongside people who couldn’t believe the hack actually worked, and others who just don’t understand why certain footwear denies entry.
One TikTok user asked: “Wth is wrong with white trainers?”, which got over 60 replies from other people also not seeing the issue.
Other people were quick to point out however that the hack is not necessarily new, with one person commenting: “Did this roughly about 20 years ago, so glad to see it still works.”, and another added: “I remember my husband doing this in the 90s and 00s.”
“Oldest trick in the book,” another commented.
Another handful of comments also likened the situation to a scene from an episode of iconic 00s sitcom The Inbetweeners, where Simon is refused entry to a nightclub because of his trainers and ends up swapping them with a homeless person so he could get in.
“Should have found a homeless person to swap with,” one personal comically commented.
After it was confirmed that the venue in question was Revolucion de Cuba, lots of other people commented that they have too been in the exact same situation before, and one person even said: “Revs de Cuba has to be the only place in Manchester that still has this Stone Age policy.”
Regarding dress code in the venue, a statement on Revolucion de Cuba’s website reads: “A good night out is about feeling great and looking glamorous, so get your glad rags on. It’s a smart affair, so we’d just ask you to avoid casual garments such as sportswear, vests and fancy dress. We also want to see some fancy footwork from you, so leave behind the trainers, pumps and branded footwear and bring along your dancing shoes.
“Joking aside – we operate a strict door policy and thus reserve the right to refuse entry if we feel you do not meet the dress code.”
So, you can’t say they weren’t warned.
Featured Image – TikTok (Rachael Silvester – @rachsilvester)