Most of Metro Vancouver’s nightlife kicks off at 10pm — but for the revelers at a bimonthly dance event, they get ready to head home.
Home By Midnight (HBM) promoters say their parties cater to those who like to meet new people and let loose, but not the late nights.
HBM has been around since 2018, and organizer Mikael Bingham says it helps those who have to get up early in the morning or have family commitments.
She says there has been a huge surge in demand from parties since public health restrictions were lifted and major events resumed last year.
“It’s kind of an anti-nightclub. We start around 8 [p.m.]we finish at 11,” she said. “Once you’re past a certain age… Doors at 10 feels too late for you.”
HBM comes at a time when BC’s median age is trending higher. According to the 2021 census, the median age in BC is 43.1 years, compared to five years earlier when it was 42.3 years.
The number of people over 65 in the province increased by two percentage points during this period.
Bingham says she and the other organizers found that regular nightclubs didn’t serve them well enough and they could only dance together “at the next wedding.”
“People should have those options,” she said. “‘Nightlife’ shouldn’t have to start at 10, 11pm”
The organizer says the event initially saw great demand from parents, especially mothers, but now has a multitude of excited dancers.
Bingham says attendees are from Abbotsford, Mission and Coquitlam. Most of their events take place at the Anza Club in Vancouver.
Saturday marked HBM’s first event of the year at the venue’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. It was sold out, over a hundred people came to dance the night away.
Kristiina Harris, a mom who was at the event with her friends, said she’s been waiting for an event like this for over a decade.
“We wanted to get out and we really wanted to dance, but I don’t know where we could go that we wouldn’t be like, ‘we’re 1,000 years old,'” she said, laughing.
Jessica Rosenblatt, a friend of Harris and a mother of elementary school children, said the event was a safe place to go dancing and wake up early the next morning.
Bingham said organizers had received encouraging feedback from event attendees, who told them they were filling an unmet need for nightlife with better hours and a positive environment.
“We have a great audience here,” she said. “People respect each other’s boundaries.”
HBM events are held every two months, with the next dance party scheduled for April 22 at Anza Club.
