Photos: What You Missed at the First Lunch Beat
Photos by Janelle Nanos
There were glow sticks and water bottles, and the club music was thumping at the Hack/Reduce space in Kendall Square this afternoon as a crowd gathered for the launch of Boston’s new mid-day dance party, Lunch Beat. A European import—the daytime party started in Stockholm two years ago—Lunch Beat was brought to Cambridge by Dmitri Gunn, an entrepreneur and event planner who loved the concept and wanted to make it local.
As the winter sun seeped in through the skylights, the crowd flailed and shimmied while Glowkids & Fuse spun techno beats. More fun than networking, the event was just weird enough to make everyone in the room a bit giddy, and the dance floor was packed for the entire hour.
“Holy shit, we just did this!” Gunn said to a round of applause as the DJs finished.
“We all have our heads down building companies and writing code,” said Fred Destin of Atlas Ventures, who helped Gunn pull off the event. “[This was] a chance to let us get our endorphins flowing. I’m so happy we did something so ridiculous.”
Gunn promised this isn’t a one-off, and has plans to make Lunch Beat a habit, swapping back and forth between Cambridge and Boston once the new Innovation Center opens in the Seaport District. “Boston is pretty traditional—we’re not known for pushing the envelope,” Gunn told me. “But this was an unconventional concept and we had a wait list. We want to do more of these. Stay tuned.”
Here’s a glimpse of what you missed this afternoon. Follow @LunchBeatBos for updates on the next event.
Right at noon, the dance floor is packed.
The Hack/Reduce hall becomes a club for the afternoon.
Glowkids & Fuse spins for the lunchtime crowd.
Fred Destin, of Atlas Ventures, shows off his moves (in the white T-shirt, right).
Dmitri Gunn takes in the crowd from the center of the room.
Hubspot staffers wore orange to show solidarity on the dance floor.
Every good dance party has a spontaneous human chain.
The crowd lingers after the dancing is done.
