DiDi Encourages Young Aussies to Keep the Night Alive

Last Saturday night, DiDi, the award-winning rideshare service, lit a spark in Australia’s late-night culture with a pop-up rave that no one saw coming. While most of the city was winding down on a typical Saturday night, DiDi was turning up the volume. With low fares and no curfews, young Aussies didn’t have to call it a night - they could ride on, save more, and show up for the moments that matter. Moments like a surprise rave in a Melbourne launderette, headlined by one of the country’s most buzzed-about underground DJs.

That’s the idea behind DiDi’s new music platform, DiDi Kick Ons: a celebration of spontaneous, unforgettable moments that unfold when the night feels like it should be over - but isn’t. Designed to spotlight after-hours culture, the platform transforms late-night rides into unexpected cultural experiences for a new generation of experience seekers and music fans.

The first in a series of surprise ‘Kick On’ events took rising electronic artist Ned Bennett—a fast-rising name in Australia’s underground music scene—and dropped him into his most unexpected venue yet: a humble corner laundrette in Melbourne’s CBD. The result? A legendary, last-minute, drop everything music moment that fans won’t soon forget.

“Having just launched our new brand platform ‘Yes I DiDi’, we wanted to connect the sentiment with a new generation of rider,” said CMO of DiDi Australia and New Zealand, Tim Farmer. “Our data shows that many of our riders are using DiDi late into the night, and so we wanted to add real world value in that moment that brings to life the benefits of cheaper rides in a way that is relevant to them. DiDi Kick Ons was born from this insight and offers us a way as a brand to show, not tell, young Aussies the benefits of our brand authentically and genuinely without turning up like dad at a disco.”

The pop-up event was carefully crafted to engage the artist’s superfans, with cryptic teasers dropped in the days leading up to the reveal to build anticipation and hype.

“From the start, Tim and the team were laser-focused on ensuring DiDi showed up differently, and ultimately meaningfully in culture,” said James Griffiths, general manager, creative at BRING – Universal Music Group For Brands. “They weren’t afraid to be bold, which was incredibly refreshing. DiDi Kick On’s was born from that boldness and was a true collaboration. The brand embraced ‘thinking like an artist’ in the ways in which we brought the platform to market, creating true fan connection, and not being afraid to leverage unexpected channels. With this first event, DiDi shows up with a 100% share of voice and delivers on its promise: while others take you home, DiDi takes you where you want to go.”

The unexpected venue was reimagined entirely for one unforgettable night, creating a standout fan experience designed to leave a lasting impression. Every detail of the rollout was crafted to generate post-event FOMO, with a social-first approach that encouraged authentic sharing - no hashtags, no paid prompts, just a real value exchange between brand and audience. Within hours, influencer content from the event began circulating, generating hype and building momentum for what’s next in the DiDi Kick On series.

With more DiDi Kick Ons planned for the remainder of 2025, fans eager to be part of the next unforgettable moment can slide into DiDi’s DMs to be the first to know when - and where - it all goes down.