Hush, Now! We Trying To Party!

Let me set the scene for you.  You enter the night club, the ladies are there, the drinks are there, your friends are there,… but there’s something missing.  It takes a second, but then you realize it:  There’s no music playing.  All you can hear is crowd chatter, and glasses clanking, yet you look around and see the dance floor full… bodies are moving, gyrating even, could it be that they are dancing?  Then you look up and notice that each of the vibrating bodies have heads that have headphones on them.  This is not a trippy dream that you had.  You are at a silent party.

Wikipedia defines a silent party as an event where people dance to music listened to on wireless headphones.  Rather than using a speaker system, music is broadcast via a radio transmitter with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone receivers worn by the participants. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to nothing.

This phenomenon has spread in popularity from Europe, to the United States, and finally here to Toronto.

In July, Silent Events Toronto (@SilentEventsToronto) held the first Silent Party dubbed “Hush” in Toronto on Canada Day at Pearl Lounge.  Three different channels of the best in a wide range of party music were available to patrons as they actively chose between the blue, green and red channels on their headphones.  Settling on whatever vibe they were feeling at the time.

Taking off the headphones provides quite an experience in itself. You can hear different groups of friends singing songs of different genres at the same time. That sensation coupled with the different coloured illuminating headphones makes it a one of a kind event.  It was a real music-lovers adventure as everything from Lionel Richie to Future, to Konshens was rocked out to, depending on what channel was being listened to.  As the lights went on, patrons didn’t want to leave, and the lounge stayed open til 4am as people continued on.

The silence is golden and the party goes on.  This Saturday, August 13th, at Pearl, another silent party will be held.  Pearl is making it a monthly event.  Contact silenteventstoronto@gmail.com to find out how to host your own Silent Party event.