One of Ottawa’s oldest swimming pools recently hosted an immersive musical experience. On April 19, more than 100 people danced to electro beats at the public bath inside Champagne Fitness Centre on King Edward Avenue.

Partygoers listened from inside the pool, in the sauna, or poolside under the sunroof. The Toronto-based artist Eejungmi (DJ Katie Lee) headlined, while Gatineau’s Yolande Laroche opened the show. Debaser, a non-profit underground-arts presenter, hosted.

Rachel Weldon, Debaser’s director, says the building’s heritage and architecture drew her to plan the event. “We enjoy doing events in unconventional spaces and feeling inspired by how sound would fill different types of spaces, and how artists can interact with it,” she told the Ottawa Citizen.

This was the third DJ event at the pool, with more planned after the summer. The building closed on May 1 until August 31 for roof repairs.

Weldon says city authorities have supported the idea. “It seemed like a wacky idea at the beginning, but now that they see how much the public enjoys it, they’ve been great at facilitating it,” she told the Ottawa Citizen.

Champagne Bath opened in 1924 as one of Ottawa’s first two indoor swimming pools. The city built the facility after the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic to improve public health. At the time, many neighbourhood homes lacked indoor plumbing, so the bath provided essentials like towels, bathing suits, soap, and hairbrushes.