On weekends, people like to come together and dance. And listen to music.

And, often, to celebrate weird or fun pop-culture references they share with a certain segment of the population.

When pop culture wasn’t so fragmented, we could just have ’80s music night or Beatles night, and people would be really excited.

But celebrations like those are too broad now. Because of the fragmenting of all media — TV, radio, online stuff — it’s really much cooler to find something that not everyone has seen or knows about, and celebrate that.

So we get things like ’90s Nickelodeon Nite at Bubba’s Sulky Lounge in Portland. This Saturday-night dance party is not celebrating the ’90s, or the kids on the TV cable network Nickelodeon — it’s just celebrating the shows that were on the network in the 1990s.

For those not familiar with this golden era in slightly odd programming for young people, some of the best-known Nick shows of the ’90s include “Rugrats,” “The Ren & Stimpy Show,” “Rocko’s Modern Life,” “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Double Dare.”

“Double Dare” is especially symbolic of the era. It was a game show for kids, where people were constantly getting “slimed.”

So at the ’90s Nickelodeon Nite, there will be a “slime” photo booth, says organizer Kristen Bartlett. Folks won’t actually be slimed, but the pictures will be taken in such a way so that they will appear to be slimed.

There will also be drink specials that look a little like slime and will be called, naturally, “Get Slimed.” A DJ will spin ’90s tunes and show videos, including clips of some of the opening sequences to Nickelodeon shows, Bartlett said.

There will be a costume contest with a $50 prize, so put on your best diaper and go as a Rugrat. There will also be a dance contest, making good use of Bubba’s multi-colored, light-up dance floor. The winner will get a used copy of “Rugrats” or “Ren & Stimpy” on VHS!

So how did this come about? Well, Bartlett has been organizing ’90s nights at Bubba’s once a month for a few years now, coming up with a different micro-theme within the maxi-theme of the ’90s. Some of those have included “Flannel Fever,” “Macarena” and “90s Beach Party.”

So it was inevitable (was it really?) that eventually they’d get around to a ’90s Nickelodeon Nite.

“We got a lot of requests to do this one,” said Bartlett.

So if you’ve got your own mini-sliver of pop culture that happened between 1990 and 1999 that you’d like to celebrate, let the folks at Bubba’s know.

You never know what might happen.

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

Twitter: RayRouthier