Drinking, dancing, and home before dark

Boston Globe

19-04-2025

The concept started as 'a tongue-in-cheek joke,' said Childs. But, he added, 'there's something kind of great about it, too. You can come in, you can make the drinks you want, you can go home by a reasonable time and go to bed.'
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Trina's Starlite Lounge owner Josh Childs and Row 34's Vannaluck Hongthong during the April 8 edition of Old Man Bar, a new early evening event that features specialty cocktails and guest bartenders.
Alyssa DiPasquale
Old Man Bar is part of a shift toward new nightlife options that specifically cater to Gen Xers and millennials. In February, Medici,
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Think 'darty' — (colloquial for 'day party') — but for parents and middle-aged adults looking to blow off steam. For these pre-dusk parties, the goal is to provide 'nightlife' experiences while considering a work/life balance.
Childs said Trina's loyal patrons jumped at the chance to socialize and imbibe at an earlier hour. The two hosts slung playfully named cocktails like the Miso Shisho by the Seashore (Hongthong's Collins interpretation) and Van is my Old Pal (Childs's take on a Negroni) from behind the bar; a soundtrack of 'pseudo-yacht rock and classic dad rock … a little '90s hip-hop,' chosen by Hongthong, filled the air, and most guests left by 8 p.m., without the risk of sacrificing a good night's sleep.
'I want to be in bed by nine,' said Vanessa Yip, an Old Man Bar attendee who has known Childs and Hongthong for the better portion of a decade, not only as a regular but as a friend. She calls Trina's 'an arms-open place.'
Sarah Murphy, owner of Vinal Bakery and Vinal General Store and Trina's patron, appreciates a chance to unwind that is mindful of busy work-life balance: 'Now that we have kids or more demanding careers, [early nightlife] fits better with our lifestyle than the late hours of our 20s.'
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Attendees at an EarlyBirds Club event in Februrary 2025 in Los Angeles.
Carissa Woo Photography
While
'[W]e're harkening back to a time when we didn't have kids, or we didn't have to worry about taking care of someone, where we were probably in a dorm room pregaming before whatever frat party and getting ready with our girlfriends,' explained founding member Helean Lee. 'That's the general time to which we're trying to trigger memories. We're pulling a nostalgia. … Those times are so precious.'
EarlyBirds arrives in New England for the first time on May 2 at Fete Music Hall in Providence, and May 3 at Middlesex nightclub in Cambridge, which is currently waitlist-only. For each event, cofounder Laura Baginski said 10 percent of proceeds go to a charity that is local to the venue, 'often for the benefit of women or the trans and nonbinary communities, and it's got to be a mission that really resonates with us.' For their Providence party, the group plans to support
and in Cambridge, the proceeds will go to
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Guests at Kulture Lounge's residency at Upstairs at Bow in Bow Market in Somerville.
Provided
For those looking for a more regular haunt, Kini Udovicki and Malene Council, both in their mid-40s, launched
monthly event, which take place at Bow Market's
'There are lots of places where 21-year-olds can go. There is nightlife in Boston, but we don't want to be around that crowd, and we know that people our age don't want to be around that age [group],' said Udovicki. The founders are long-time friends and oversee Kulture Lounge's operations in addition to their full-time professional careers; Council works in family and teen advocacy in the Cambridge community, and Udovicki is an educator.
Kulture Lounge's pop-ups typically run from 5 to 10 p.m. with the next event on April 19. Tickets are
typically $25 and sold online and at the door, and the venue's capacity of 110 people helps to maintain the event's intimacy. A $50 ticket for the new VIP section, features a complimentary drink and comfortable couches to socialize on.
'We're not so old that we don't want to go out anymore, right?' Udovicki said. 'We wanted to create a space where people could come out, enjoy old-school hip-hop … [and bring] you back to a place that maybe you had forgotten about … and you're like, 'Oh, my God! I haven't heard that [song] in so long,' and it just brings joy to the space.'
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The soundtrack at Kulture Lounge draws from the '90s and early 2000s, hip-hop, R&B, and reggae.
Attendees can nurse drinks and visit at the bar or seating areas or dance the (early) night away on the dance floor.
'I think music was how you got through things,' Council said. 'We're always high energy, worrying about things. But with Kulture Lounge, I managed to say, 'It's going to be what it's going to be' … I feel like I'm back when I was a kid. This feels good, just feels good, even if it's just for that day.'
Haley Clough can be reached at