It’s Friday night-1994

[Cositseleventhirtyandtheclubisjumpinjumpin]

How old are you, what are you doing?

I’m 16, almost due to do GCSE’s and have an amazing summer, only bettered by summer of 1995, the following year.
I’m out, either at a house party or drinking in the park or around the village. I spent ages getting ready in crop top or maybe a body, oversized denim or check shirt, usually tied around my waist, kickers & jeans. Hair long and wavy, coffee shimmer lipstick, bronzer and heavy eyeliner. Met up with the other four friends in our group to drink vodka or cider, smoke Embassy number one and probably some weed later on. Excitement’s in the air as it is every Friday night, we’ll probably meet up with the boys two years above us, maybe drive around in cars, possibly go with one of them (snog/kiss) but the most fun part is when all five of us girls get drunk together and howl with laughter, rarely has there been friendships as precious as those early ones.

This Friday night-I’m 48, lay in bed next to my sleeping 7 year old, live abroad and am a sensible adult.

Yes the Su! Forgot about that

I was 26. I'd have come home from a day working on a bypass, tired and dirty. Had a hot bath and some tea. My friend would have come around about 8 ISH and we'd get a few down our necks listening to No Good by the Prodigy as we got ready to go out. About 10:30 we'd get a cab to the indie/metal club and get some K cider bottles, 2 each so we didn't have to queue up later when it got busy and then we'd dance, our other friends would turn up in dribs and drabs all night and wed dance, chat, smoke, snog and at 2, when the night ended, we'd get cabs home. I'd usually share mine with a drummer we knew that lived in my road.

Then I'd crash out. And wake up very late with a headache. And go to the cafe for a fried breakfast and bump into other friends, probably go to the pub and then head home around 3-4, sleep and then go back to the pub at 9.

Happy happy days.

14, likely in church youth club as in my churchy phase which lasted about 1.5 years. Fun though, and loads of weirdos there and I experimented with foundation as I thought every girl should have an orange face. I would come home and pray and read my bible and then watch films and go to sleep and have a lie in because it was the time before I had to work. Ahhh amazing

It was the night before my 3rd birthday which funnily enough is my earliest childhood memory.

I’m 60 now. All the kids are ace and doing great! House still not burnt down. We’ve got three grandchildren. We’re still happy, drinking less wine and not smoking spliffs anymore

17, in the pub with friends, off to the Dome nightclub. Will miraculously make it home one way or another without waking the parents, sleep, and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for orchestra on Saturday morning.

I have no idea how it was possible.

16, probably in a field drunk on cheap cider with friends. One always had a guitar. Being peaceful little hippies at the same time so quite mild.

Not much has changed although I went off cider.

1994…I would have been 5, so only just out of hospital. Probably sleeping and waking periodically to take meds to keep me alive. Maybe even waking up to put on more clothes (as I was always cold).
By 1998 however; Friday was a big night! It was always “curry night” for the men (aka; my dad and my best friends dad) and me and my bestie would be allowed to watch TV on the big set downstairs Jim Davisson’s big break and fort boyard with chippie chips on a tray before going to our drama club for 2 hours, coming home and finding my besties mum passed out drunk on the sofa, so we would be allowed a sleepover!
This Friday night in 2026 - I have had a take away Chinese, consumed less than 1/4 of it. Fallen asleep on the sofa about 6 times, watched an episode of Locke and key with oldest DC and sent the children to bed. Gone to bed myself!

I was 29 with a 4 year old, we were living on a RAF base near Norwich, trying to decide whether to settle there or go back ‘home’ when DH was out in 95. Home won.

Wow - there are so many of us the same age. I would also have been 16 and about to take GCSEs. I would have been out for a bit after school with friends and then revising hard, was a straight A student.

I started going to the pub on a Friday night the year after , in lower 6th. Totally relate to Friday night being under age night and people celebrating their “18ths” multiple times. Some of the happiest memories of my life.

like you my 16yo twins are about to take their GCSEs and have had their last day of school today, now going on study leave. They’ve had a few days of saying goodbyes to teachers and spending time with their year group. We’re all feeling nostalgic this evening so it’s great to find this thread. They’ve both been at their sports after school, we’ve had a takeaway and now everyone is relaxing ahead of getting into revision over the weekend.

I miss 1994!

Now?

3 kids, 2 adults, 1 teenager.

I still love Eurovision.

My uni no longer exists, and that makes me sad.

Oh god it was that bank holiday weekend with the Eurovision! In that case I have vivid memories too, not of the Friday night, but the Saturday evening. It was warm and spring like finally, I remember my mum weeding in the front garden as I walked out to go and see everyone and took my first trip-hated it, got so paranoid I came home and tried to brush my teeth madly as everyone said that helped for the experience to not be as strong as it could be. I remember feeling strange and so relieved and happy waking up the next morning that it was over

I was 21 and worked in a nightclub and after hours we’d stay behind, drinking and playing poker for our tip money, or go raving in the woods! I would have been wearing the top we had to wear behind the bar and a short black skirt, tights and boots.
It was a fun time and I look back now and cannot imagine wanting to go out at 2am!

I was 15 and most likely having a Chinese at my boyfriend’s (parent’s) house. Chicken chop suey. Or we were out at the local football social club.

Height of grunge. Early 20s. In some Indy nightclub. Moved out of home to share with friends. Good times. A time to be alive.

Yup. Eurovison. .

Just blame Michael Flatley.

I was 2. Probably sleeping at this time.

First year of uni. I'd have been hammered on Blastaways in the Union having the Best Time. It really was an amazing time to be young. My DD is a similar age to me now and is endlessly pissed off she'll never experience a youth like we had.

I'm 38, in an abusive relationship with 2 DDs.

Friday night was Girls Brigade night. Home from work, feed DD2 and take her to our local church. Come home and feed DD1. Take DD1 to church, collect DD2, take her home and put her to bed. Then go back to collect DD1. By then it was nearly 10pm and I was ready for bed.

While I was doing all this, then DH was sitting at home drinking and doing sod all as usual. I left him 2 years later.

Ahh No good by the prodigy, so many nights bunny hopping around to that with the previously mentioned shirt tied around the waist

God I am so nostalgic now! Also 16. Wouldn’t we have GCSEs coming up?! I have no memory of revising for them? My first Reading Festival later this year. Lost my friend and watched the chili peppers alone and it never occurred to me to worry about travelling home alone.

music. Oh the music was amazing. I would have been wearing my DMs, band tshirt, a Tea dress. I wanted to be Courtney love though maybe not now as Kurt Cobain just died.

I don’t actually remember going out that much, that was more sixth form. I think we were manky in the house of the person whose parents were away.

I am struck by the freedom and hope I had then.

Now. Daughter turned eleven today. Pizza express now back on sofa. Marriage is dead and we see other people. My boyfriend has a wife who is very unwell and I’m trying to navigate that as well as cordial relationships at home. In 1994 I never thought about much beyond school and friends. Now I feel like there is so much on me and it’s so overwhelming at times

Probably got my head down a toilet or in hospital on a drip. I was 6 weeks pregnant with my first baby and had HG. 🤢

I was 26 and heavily pregnant with DS, so probably scoffing chocolate ice cream and wishing he'd hurry up and arrive

I was 10 and eagerly devouring every Usbourne book under the sun as I started my own detective agency and spent my days go karting around the neighbourhood (Clapham in London). The following summer my mum would move us to the countryside and I became quite isolated and lonely, cut off from all my friends. On a Friday in 1994 I might be at a friends house having a sleepover and feeling a little homesick, but excited for the adventures of the weekend. London felt generally safe, I remember seeing posters in the tube station for Four Weddings and a Funeral but not getting what it was.

Now I am 42 and currently sat on the sofa with my almost grown up son in the next room, the cats nearby. Tomorrow I will go out dancing and pretend to be cool but secretly it’s just a mid life crisis. 😅 I still live in the countryside.

I'm 18, exam leave has started (Scotland) and as it's Friday I'm definitely in the pub drinking cider and smoking Marlboro reds. I have a 24 year old boyfriend who is my friend's big brother.

Life is good. On that precipice between childhood and adulthood. The best of times.