As we head into summer and more and more Americans become fully vaccinated, it’s looking like we’re about to hit the first post-Covid party season. While it’ll be fun to go out to bars, clubs, and concerts again, we’re also pretty psyched to throw our own epic house parties. Think about all those skills you picked up during quarantine — you can make your own edibles now, maybe you started your own garage-based microbrewery, not to mention the fact that you’ve been working on those DJ moves for months (something you keep mentioning, we get it already George! Just play the hits!).
We have all the tools we need to bring everything the club has to offer into our living rooms, right? Maybe not.
If you didn’t pick up any new skills, you can turn to Of The Night, from the founders of the famed Disco Dining Club. Of the Night started during quarantine and went national early this month — setting up thematic party packages that are mailed to your home. Better still, they funnel some of that your cash to philanthropic organizations. That’s a win-win which certainly helps to ease the pain of not being able to throw your own party.
This spring season, Of The Night has teamed up with Kimmy Shields (of Big Little Lies, and Insatiable fame) to help deliver party packages in support of wayOUT, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower LGBTQ+ youth to be who they are, without hesitation.
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When friends Courtney Nichols and Blakeshine started the themed party package service in July of last year, the former event producers — accustomed to throwing and attending big parties pre-pandemic — were just looking for a way to kill their extreme boredom while addressing the existential crisis they were having as a result of being unemployed and in isolation.
“Of the Night was born of necessity,” says Nichols. “We started delivering packaged parties to our friends in Los Angeles out of a desperate need to stay entertained and connected. Soon we were getting requests from friends of friends and it snowballed from there.”
In less than a year, Nichols and Blakeshine have delivered 300 party packages and aligned themselves with a number of different philanthropic organizations, donating $5,000 to progressive non-profits so far, with no intention to stop. Now, with the nationwide expansion, Of The Night is shifting to a subscription model, and wants to supply you with all your themed-house party needs on a monthly basis — a good way to make up for a year of lost time.
According to Nichols, would-be-partiers can expect a curated set of food, drinks, decor, costumes, actives, and music all centered around specific themes that celebrate the parties of the past, present, and future. Upcoming themes include May’s cottagecore-themed “Crazy Cat Lady” and “Strawberry Social,” a package that seeks to embody drag classic Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar for this year’s Pride.
“Now that we are seeing the light at the end of the ‘pandemic tunnel,’ there will obviously be a rush to get out of the house,” says Nichols, “We can’t wait to get out to our fave bars and restaurants, but we also feel that at-home entertaining will always be something that people want and need… and Of The Night is here to take it to the next level.”
The fact that donating to nonprofits is a key component of the project core elevates it from a fun idea to something truly noteworthy.
