When South London festival GALA finally had the green light to go ahead on the first weekend of August, the city was coming back to life after 16 months without dancing. GALA was one of those parties where everyone had a friend—or friends of friends—attending. Photographer Frankie Casillo described the two-day event as a "sweet relief," telling Resident Advisor: "We needed it. We are humans, we need to feel the crowd, movement, sound. I enjoyed it like crazy, it was so full of energy. And more than ever, people didn't give a fuck about the rain."

A blasé attitude towards inclement weather isn't exactly a new or unfamiliar trait for a UK festival goer. But in 2021, with the opportunity to re-emerge into society, that carefree, uninhibited spirit rang true across all kinds of dance floors in the UK and beyond—rain or shine, indoors or outdoors, vast or intimate. At Draaimolen in the Netherlands, attendees left their shoes in piles so they could move freely on the grass and in the sand, and at Funkhaus in Berlin, ravers lost their minds in the noisy abyss of a Gabber Eleganza show. Casillo often describes the ecstatic revelry he's captured this year as being "on fire," indicative of the enthusiasm and zest he's encountered along the way.

The arrival of the pandemic in 2020 forced us all to slow down and press the reset button, but as Casillo's photo retrospective portrays, communion holds a palpable energy that emanates even through an analog lens. This year, young ravers who turned 18 during lockdown finally claimed their first club experiences, DJs opted for more euphoric palettes and dance floors buzzed deep into the early hours. Though venues are now closing again across Europe, one thing’s for certain: tomorrow is never guaranteed—a point Casillo underscores, saying, "people are enjoying it moment by moment."

Based in Berlin, Casillo began as a documentary street photographer and has recently started shooting parties and festivals. In his own words, he’s on the hunt for themes of beauty and absurdity, and is more likely to seek out a candid moment on the dance floor than a snap of the DJ behind the booth. This year-end collection of photographs captures the spirit of dance floors in 2021—arms noodling in the hazy air, wide grins, barefoot dancing, garish ensembles, communal sun cream, taking a breather in the grass or the smoking area—as well as the no holds barred focus of just needing to be in a dark room and rave hard.

As part of our Year in Review, Frankie Casillo talks us through some of his favourite dance floor moments of 2021.

GALA, July 30-August 1

People were just having the best time at GALA in South London. This dancer in the green wig was part of the Sue Veneers crew; they gave so much energy and good power to all of us during their performances. The man in the second photo spent more time in the air than on the ground. Well done.

Peggy Gou presents The Pleasure Gardens, August 25

This is at Pleasure Gardens in North London, a really nice daytime festival. It was busy, and had this long dance floor with a really nice shape created by the trees. You don't see dancers so much in Germany—it's something I'm not used to, so it's inspiring and interesting. In the second photo, Little Gay Brother is dancing to Anz. They were amazing. You can see the crowd having a good time. Sometimes everyone in Berlin is in black, and it's cool, but sometimes I just want to see colours and people dressed up.

Intercity Excess, August 28

Gabber Eleganza was playing here at Intercity Excess at Funkhaus in Berlin. There was a lot of hardcore, it was full on. This guy was on fire. He wasn't wearing a t-shirt. He was so focused, staring at Gabber Eleganza though the cage. He didn’t give a fuck—he just kept raving, dancing, sweating. He was the perfect match for a night like this.

Draaimolen Festival, September 8-12 and 15-19

Draaimolen in the Netherlands is probably my favourite festival of all time. I'm there year after year. The first photo is of the Dutch DJ Carista, who smashed the dance floor. This was the last day of a 10-day event, and that night it was only Dutch artists playing, which I loved. I'm used to listening to straight techno in Berlin, so I love to hear something different. I love Draaimolen because it's a family, people are really connected to each other. It's a really friendly and beautiful festival. You can see it in the second picture—everybody is smiling, except for this guy with the glasses! I think this was during Elias Mazian back-to-back Oberman back-to-back Unofficial Milo. They played for six hours.

Naked City Festival, September 11

This girl at Naked City stopped me when I took the first picture to say "Right? Perfect boots for a day like this!" It was a unique sunny day in South London, really hot, hotter than you would expect. It must have been about 30 degrees, and she was wearing those. I think Krankbrother was playing in the second shot, and their mother was there! The festival is run by the two brothers. It was so, so nice.

Berlin Atonal, September 25-30

The first photo was taken on the last of seven nights of concerts. I saw her in this peaceful position in the main warehouse venue, Kraftwerk. The figure walking by really frames it. The artist in the second photo, Caner Teker, was probably the best performance at 2021's edition of Berlin Atonal. The piece, titled KIRKPINAR, used the tradition of Turkish oil wrestling to investigate themes of masculinity, vulnerability and intimacy. I took this shot from the top of the building from an area that was restricted, so I got this unique view from a side space that is usually only used for lighting. There wasn't much space, which is why there's this cut across the frame.

Wigflex 15th Birthday Festival, October 9

This was at Wigflex in Nottingham. There were 16 or 17 venues—it was incredible how many they put together. This was outside one of the main venues at nighttime. There were a lot of people hanging out in the car park. This girl in particular was lovely.

No Bounds Festival, October 15-17

This is another festival I love. At No Bounds, they have amazing locations during the daytime for workshops and concerts. The second photo was taken at the Kelham Island Museum. It’s a unique place. In each room they do a different thing—music, industry workshops, learning. There was also a sound and light bath by Debbie Chia who is amazing. At midnight, the museum closes and everybody goes to the club. The Black Dog from Sheffield were playing, and you can see people were really focussing.

XXL at The Warehouse Project, November 27

The person in this first photo at WHP in Manchester definitely watched Todd Phillips' film Joker a few times like me. I saw him throughout XXL and he kept the costume, the mood and attitude all night. He was just impersonating the character so well. In the second photo, the subject is wearing a Never Sleep t-shirt around his head, made by Gabber Eleganza. This was a limited edition for crew members and artists that worked XXL that night. Then there's a group of choreographers who danced for Blackhaine and kept up their singular dynamic throughout the night. The final shot is of the very last hour when Jeff Mills closed the Depot floor.