Whether it was Pop Idol star Rik Waller or the one and only Chesney Hawkes, relatively famous faces loved popping by for a picture.

These were the days before the pouting poses and flattering filters of Instagram - when people truly knew how to let their hair down.

So, if you fancy a look back at buzzing dancefloors, packed bars and Danny Dyer on the decks, you're in the right place.

2001-2002: Fancy dress, Liquid launch and Darius Danesh

Think back to the early years of the new millennium.

New Labour were in power, the Queen was celebrating her Golden Jubilee - and it was school uniform night at Ikon in Maidstone.

Ikon opened at the end of 1998 and was best known for euphoric, uplifting trance on a Saturday night.

Within 10 years the club had been split in two, with Liquid offering dance tracks, and Envy providing chart tunes and a bit of indie.

Hollyoaks hunk Gary Lucy was among those having it large at Ikon in 2002 - along with Eastenders legend Dean Gaffney.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, there was a hell of a party going on at Strawberry Moons.

Many an epic night was had at the Gabriels Hill nightspot, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2002.

And thanks to our Face in the Crowd competition, where party animals would send in their clubbing photos for the chance to win a £10 drinks voucher, we have tonnes of pictures in our archives to help remember the good times.

Strawberry Moons closed in 2017 after 25 unforgettable years of revelry in Maidstone.

Another celebrity spending a night out in Kent in 2002 was Craig Fairbrass.

The actor, who played Dirty Dan Sullivan in Eastenders and also starred in Sylvester Stallone action film Cliffhanger, was pictured at the King Charles Hotel nightclub in Gillingham.

He was there to launch a new singles night called Cupids - but arrived five hours late.

The legendary venue, also known as Excalibur Nightclub over the years, was sadly demolished in 2019.

There was also fun to be had in Chez Moi in Tunbridge Wells, The Deck in Deal and Deja Vu in Swanley - more classic clubs that are no longer with us.

Meanwhile, clubbers were celebrating 80s night at Jumpin Jaks in Maidstone.

Known for cheesy music, fancy dress, colourful alcohol and dancing bar staff, it was once THE place to end a night out.

And Pop Idol star Darius Danesh - fresh off chart-topping success with single Colourblind - was among the revellers in 2002.

The building is now home to Hollywood Bowl.

Over on the Isle of Sheppey, clubbers were having a good night at Club Space, part of Merlins Bar.

Not everyone was happy though. A petition signed by 47 people living near the Leysdown venue in 2002 objected to its licence being renewed.

It was Sheppey's largest entertainment complex, with stars like Doctor Hook, Jim Davidson, Jimmy Jones, Bobby Davro and Chas ‘n’ Dave appearing over the decades. But the legendary venue closed last year.

2002 also saw the launch of Liquid nightclub at the former flour mill in East Hill, Ashford.

Open five nights a week, it featured DJs, podium dancers, stilt walkers and fire eaters, alongside laser and lighting effects.

Liquid shut in 2014, as bosses decided to transfer the club to The Old Warehouse in Station Approach, and rebranded it Cameo.

Just outside the town, clubbers were also having a good time at M20 in Eureka Park.

Named after the busy motorway which runs past it, the venue hosted performances from the likes of DJ EZ and Ms. Dynamite.

In 2002 it welcomed Michael Greco, who played Beppe Di Marco in Eastenders.

2003-2004: Chesney Hawkes, Cheeky Girls and a world-record YMCA attempt

Riding the wave of growing interest in so-called WAGs like Victoria Beckham, Footballers' Wives was an iconic TV series of the Noughties.

And one of the show's stars, Cristian Solimeno, paid a visit to Deja Vu in Swanley in 2003.

Meanwhile, Chris Simmons, who played Mickey Webb in The Bill, was enjoying himself at The Bizz in Canterbury.

The nightspot has changed names several times over a number of years. Also known as The Works and Baa Bars, it is now home to Club Chemistry.

Over in Thanet, people were enjoying a night out at Frank's.

The Margate location's ground floor is now home to Rendezvous restaurant, while the top floor is the Faith in Strangers events space.

At Jumpin Jaks, a big crowd turned out to see Will Mellor - who played Gaz alongside Sheridan Smith in classic Noughties comedy Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

Danny Dyer, at this time most famous for starring in Human Traffic and as Billy the Limpet in Mean Machine, was there too!

And, as ever, clubbers were enjoying themselves at Ikon too - including Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood.

In February 2004, Jumpin Jaks was buzzing once again as Chesney Hawkes took to the stage.

Later that year more than 800 clubbers at the Maidstone nightspot joined in a world record attempt for the highest number of people simultaneously dancing to YMCA.

Elsewhere in the town in 2004, the Cheeky Girls arrived at Strawberry Moons to record the video for their new Christmas single Boys and Girls (Christmas Love Time).

The Romanian singing duo found fame after appearing in Popstars: The Rivals, where they dumbfounded the judges with their performance of the Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum).

Meanwhile, the club's regular punters were having a cheeky time too!

Clubbers were also enjoying nights out at Tantra in Sheerness.

The seafront club opened in 2002.

2005-2009: From Chico to indie rock

As we entered the second half of the decade, Tony Blair was still in power - getting re-elected in 2005.

More than 10 millon people were tuning in to watch Little Britain. And Peter Kay was top of the charts with Is This The Way To Amarillo.

A popular reality TV show at the time was Hell's Kitchen - where contestants had to impress celebrity chefs Gary Rhodes and Jean Christophe Novelli in order to earn the chance of running their own restaurant.

One of the hopefuls was Kellie Cresswell from Strood, who enjoyed a night out at Ikon after finishing runner-up in the show in 2005.

It was school disco night on Margate seafront at Escape - which is now home to the Barletta restaurant.

At Rivals in Deal the d-floor was packed with revellers. The nightclub later became known as Ocean Rooms.

And down the road at Funky Monkey in Dover, it was Halloween night. The club is still going today.

In 2008, the Chicago Rock Cafe in Canterbury became Chill nightclub.

DJ Ironik, who has had top 10 hits with Stay With Me and Tiny Dancer, performed there that year.

It is now home to Tokyo Tea Rooms nightclub.

2009 saw indie rockers The View - who famously sang about having the same jeans on for four days - perform at The Loft nightclub in Maidstone.

The popular venue, where DJ's Pete Tong and Zane Lowe also took the decks, closed in 2015.

2010 onwards: Celebs galore at dawn of new decade

Ok, ok. So here we are in fact creeping out of the Noughties and into the Twenty-Tens. But we didn't want you to miss out on some more corking pictures.

The dawn of the decade saw David Cameron step into Number 10 and The Great British Bake Off hit our TV screens.

Meanwhile, in Herne Bay, revellers partied into 2010 at Talk nightclub.

The venue briefly rebranded as New York, New York, which will put a wry smile on the faces of fans of The Office.

("They call it the nightclub that never sleeps. That closes at one...")

2010 also saw the arrival of Hustle at The Old Warehouse (now home to Cameo) in Ashford - with a wealth of celebrities coming along to help promote the new venue.

Matthew Horne, better known as Gavin off of Gavin & Stacey, was guest DJ for the night.

The club also welcomed TOWIE's Joey Essex and Kirk Norcross, Katie Price's ex Alex Reid, Lee from Blue, actor Ralf Little, reality star Jodie Marsh and former So Solid Crew member Lisa Maffia.

In 2011, Danny Dyer got behind the decks.

But the club closed after just three years in the town.

Across the county in Chatham, TOWIE stars were making an appearance at Krystals nightclub.

The venue sadly closed in 2013.

In 2012, Aaron Stone was celebrating 20 years in charge of Casino Rooms in Rochester.

And that man Joey Essex popped up in Kent once again to help clubbers mark the occasion.

Finally, in 2013, revellers rubbed shoulders with hip-hop royalty when superstar producer Timbaland made an appearance at Gallery nightclub in Maidstone.

The artist, who has worked with names such as Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott, chose the nightspot to host his official concert after-party, following an appearance at the 02.

The early years of the decade also saw the astronomic rise of the smartphone and Instagram - and the demise of the digital camera.

People were still taking pictures in clubs, but it just wasn't the same.

Rather than grabbing a mate, raising a pint and shouting something lairy at the camera, we started taking selfies instead...

Sadly, many of our favourite nightspots have closed over the same period - with the legendary Priz in Folkestone dramatically going up in flames.

Will we ever see rowdy nights like we had in the Noughties ever again?

Click here to see some epic pictures from Kent nightclubs in the 1990s.

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