December in Lagos, virtually: a Detty December itinerary inside the game

A real December in Lagos means planning: which concert, which beach, which wedding, and how to get across the city in the traffic. A virtual December in Lagos is easier. Everything below happens inside AJ Cities, a free open-world browser game set on the edge of Ajegunle, in its live party mode. It is a virtual Detty December in the game, not a real event: no real venue, date or ticket.

Here is a five-night route through the estate. Do it in five evenings, or all in one.

Night 1: the gate

Open ajcities.com, choose Party at the estate and sign in with your email (18+ only). Pick a world: always night is the one for a December itinerary. You arrive in the waiting area outside the main gate, where guests queue.

Before you join the queue, dress up. The Palmline Unisex Salon and Gatefold Clothing, right by the gate, change your hair, skin tone and clothes for free. Then walk up to the police and ask to be let in. Most nights about four in five guests who ask get in free. If they say no, ask again, or buy a ticket: it lasts 24 hours.

Night 2: the bush

Inside, take the footpath south to the bush: rough ground, a street football pitch, and an unfinished building two floors high and open to the weather. It is where the estate goes to get away from the street. Bring friends, find the pitch and see who turns up. The cheapest ticket, ₦250, opens the bush if the police will not.

Night 3: the beach party

Past the trees beyond the bush is the beach. The beach party is the estate's open-air night out, and tickets from ₦400 open it. Go at night for the full effect, and stand near a radio: the estate radio plays the same song at the same moment for every player, so the whole beach hears the same track.

Night 4: June 12 Street after dark

Come back up to June 12 Street, the estate's one main street, where everybody meets. At night it is lit and busy, with music drifting over the wall from the club at the far end. A ₦500 ticket opens the street at night. Walk the length of it, from No. 1 to the purple lights of No. 1145, and talk to the players you pass: everyone you meet in party mode is a real person.

Night 5: Prizm

Finish at Prizm, the club house at No. 1145. Every ticket opens the ground floor through the regular door, and the bouncers sometimes let a guest in without one. In the always night world, the artist Joe-Izzy is on stage whenever you arrive; in the Lagos time world, he plays from 9 pm to 1 am Lagos time.

If your group wants the full night, Prizm VIP tickets use the VIP entrance and open the pool deck, the rooftop garden and, at the top tier, the artist's lounge and backstage. They are optional. Most of the night costs nothing.

Your five nights at a glance

Every ticket and what it opens is on the tickets page, and how party mode works has the step-by-step.

Tips for a good night

• Agree a world with your friends before you start. Pick the same one and you usually join the same estate; each holds up to 60 players.
• Need a break? Pause, and you stay in the world as “away” for up to ten minutes.
• On a phone, move with your left thumb and drag on the right side to look around. The controls guide has the rest.

Is this a real Lagos December itinerary?

No. Every stop is inside the game AJ Cities. It is a virtual Detty December, with no real venue, date or ticket.

Do I need to pay for any of it?

No. Most guests who ask the police at the gate get in free, and the bouncers sometimes let people into Prizm. Tickets are optional and last 24 hours.