MONTCLAIR, NJ — Outside an Italian restaurant in suburban New Jersey, partiers queue up, hoping to dance the night away. Or, at least to dance the early part of the night away. That's the appeal of All My Friends, a monthly pop-up dance party that starts at 7pm and ends at 11pm — early enough for people with morning responsibilities to have fun without the consequences of a late-night-out.
"All My Friends is the best dance party that you've ever gone to," said co-founder Elizabeth Spiridakis, who stood behind a table with wrist bands and a cashbox, ready to welcome the evening's fun-seekers. Spiradakis said she once loved heading into New York City late at night to dance at clubs, but that was before she had a child and moved to New Jersey. Not wanting to miss out, she started organizing more convenient dance events with a group of party-loving friends.
"All of us together had started organizing dance parties locally at a much smaller venue," Spiridakis remembered of the group's early events at the local Elks Club. That was in 2019; by 2023, with lines out the door, they realized they needed more space. "And at one point, we were like, 'we feel like there's potential for so much more with this.' This could be a really viable and fun business."
Now on some nights, as many as 300 people of all ages spill onto the large wooden dance floor. One couple, Donna Demino and Joseph Smith, moved in perfect, practiced time to "Holiday" by Madonna, beneath the oversized disco ball.
Demino and Smith have been dancing together for almost 25 years, and they were among the first to enter the All My Friends event when the doors opened. " It's just a lot of fun, especially getting here early, having the whole dance floor to yourself, and music is good, and people are just here to have a good time," said Demino.
Suzan Wang heard about the early dance party when her group chat started blowing up with texts about it. " When my friend posed it as old ladies dancing, I had to go," said Wang, 47 and a mother of two. " This absolutely meets the needs of everyone who wants to go out, have a good time, hear some good music, and also be home by a reasonable hour."
Wang and her wing-woman, Theodora Lopez, laughed about the differences of clubbing in their forties compared to when they were younger. "On the Uber ride over here, we were saying how back in the day, maybe our choice wouldn't have been an athletic sneaker," Wang joked. " But for the record, this is a cute sneaker!"
One of the keys to All My Friends' success is its "impeccable vibes", according to Spiridakis. " We like to joke and say it's like the xennial dance party of your dreams."
While the core demographic might be Gen X and Millennials, Spiridakis noted the crowd spans from people in their early twenties to people in their sixties and seventies. She said she's proud of the inclusive atmosphere. "It's cool. It's really fun," said Spiridakis. "There's a good mix of people on the dance floor, men, women, couples."
There's also a queue for drinks at the bar, where friends of James Brennan toasted his 40th with birthday shots. " I just wanted to go out with my friends and dance and just let loose and cut loose," Brennan said. "I can't tell you the last time I've been dancing, you know, a decade. And it's just like, 'oh, what a great opportunity.'"
Choosing the perfect playlist to appeal to a wide range of musical tastes falls to the man behind the wheels of steel, Preston Olson, aka DJ Dirty Preston. He described his playlist as "all over the place and whatever feels good in that moment."
His music mix transitioned seamlessly from late '80's hip-hop classics, like Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It", to current hits from artists including Rosalía, Mind Enterprises, and PinkPantheress. But Olson admitted to having one rule: "I just never will play Ed Sheeran... It's a no Sheeran night."
All My Friends regular Amanda Harris hoped to hear some Bad Bunny, and was ready to run onto the dance floor when she recognized his beats. Harris remembered the pressure of her New York nights out when she was younger.
" In the early aughts, it was like trying not to look like you tried on a bunch of outfits, but you actually did," she said, explaining that her expectations have evolved as she's gotten older. "Honestly, I think I care less," she mused. "So it's less about how I look to other people. I think it's just the assurance that comes when you're older."
On the other hand, noted Harris, there are time constraints and responsibilities that come with getting older, too. "I think we all have such real things going on. Many of us have families, we have kids, we have jobs," she said. "And then obviously just the outside, surrounding world is a little chaotic right now. So I think it just creates this really safe space to come and let loose and just have fun."
The rest of the world could wait, at least until 11:00 p.m., when the dance party typically wraps up for the night. That's ideal for Theodora Lopez, who had a packed schedule of family activities planned for the next day. "Basketball at one, another basketball at four, and then dinner plans," she said.
Same story for her dance partner Wang. "We've got a number of different activities tomorrow that culminates in my daughter's 16th birthday." Wang said she'll get to bed as soon as she gets home, but for now, there's time for one more dance.
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