Wahoo has introduced a new dress code banning certain items of clothing. The club has erected a sign prohibiting hooded tops, sportswear and steel toe capped shoes inside the venue.
A Wahoo spokesperson told Cherwell the club has put these restrictions in place because they are trying to maintain a more up-market dress code. He elaborated, “We’ve been having some trouble with bad customers recently, our club nights have been attracting local youth, many of them wearing these clothes.”
It was also revealed that lately they have been confiscating as many as twenty IDs a night. The occasional student ID has been confiscated, but the problem has mainly been fake (or misidentifying) passports and drivers licenses.
“Students haven’t caused any real problems, the rule mainly applies to Saturday nights when many of the local youth are out. We understand that students want to dress up for theme nights, we aren’t going to make an issue about that”, said the Wahoo spokesperson.
Students appear not to be too worried about the new regulations, Mike Connolly, a first year at St Anne’s commenting, “To be honest, no one really wears hooded tops or sportswear when they go out clubbing.
“I’ve never felt in any danger [though after recent thefts and muggings] you realise Oxford isn’t as safe as it seems.” He claimed these incidents seem to occur mainly “when the townies are out.”
However, Jonny Rix, one first year historian claimed the restrictions are unjustified, stating, “people wearing hoodies aren’t all aggressive. The people who immediately assume that are just stereotyping. Eventually it’s not about the hoodie but about the person wearing it.”
Ryan Dunwoody, a second-year Varsity rep, argues rivalry between Oxford students and townies often causes problems for clubs stating, “Yes, there have been times when students have felt intimidated by the locals who are out. The townies have a grudge against Oxford students.”
Still, he believes the restrictions to be unreasonable asserting, “technically speaking Wahoo is a sports bar and that’s why it’s all rather ridiculous. If you can’t wear sportswear to a sports bar then when can you?
“A while ago, I was there with a friend to watch a football game and we were told we had to leave because we were wearing sportswear.”
No other clubs in Oxford have brought in a formal dress code although some, such as Camera, enforce standards on the door.
Wahoo stated, “we won’t turn everyone away, but we have to maintain certain rules. We don’t want to lose our license.”
