[title]
I’ve always loved going out dancing at the club. My early twenties were a blur of Sharpie-marked hands, strong-as-hell cranberry vodkas, and closing out the bar in platformed Charlotte Russe pumps. But now, as a woman in her thirties, I admit: I’ve been there and done that. I’ve done the wall-to-wall sweaty crowds, the $20 cover charges, and the “Let’s just wait for one more song” dance in hopes that the DJ finally gets it together. But before you write me off as just another old Millennial, I’m still hip fellow kids! I just want to go out and know it’s a guaranteed good time. I want to know that the music is good, that I can dance and still hear my friends, and that if possible, I can wrap it up at a reasonable time so I can be a real person the next day. I understand it’s a large ask. But luckily, Matinée Social Club is here to answer the call.
RECOMMENDED: Time Out New York introduces the “Out Late” column
Geared toward the millennial crowd, Matinée Social Club is a pop-up dance party made for people who like to go out with the in-crowd but still want to be in bed by 11pm. Known for disco and dancing, this early evening party starts at 5pm and wraps at 10pm, guaranteeing fun times for early bird Millennials and people who just like to go to sleep before midnight.
The brain behind this Millennial hang is founder and DJ Michael Vosters. DJ’ing since he was 16, Vosters has played sets around the world, from producing mini music festivals on the Delaware River in upstate New York to spinning in clubs in Spain and weddings in Mexico. But as he got older, his tastes for nightlife changed, too.
“There is this trope of, ‘Where do you meet new people after 30? Nowhere,’” he says, noting that many of his friends are still looking for excitement but just have different responsibilities—marriage, kids, and, let’s face it, earlier bedtimes. “Now that all of us are in our 30s, we just want a time we can agree on.”
In September of 2023, he threw the first unofficial Matinée party as a one-off, figuring it would be a good going-away celebration before he set off for his next destination. He hit up the owner of Joyface—the 1970s-themed fever dream of a bar in Alphabet City—Jennifer Shorr, to host the party. The theme was funk, the partygoers were overwhelmingly Millennial, and the playlist included ’70s disco interspersed with ’90s and early 2000s hits. And most importantly, the party ended promptly at 10pm. A few days later, he flew to Medellín, Colombia, where he had planned to live for the next month. Soon after his arrival, he received multiple texts from his friends and Shorr, who all said the same thing: “You need to do that again.”
So he returned to New York to throw another event in October, just in time for Halloween. In December, he posted a video to recap the bash. The video featured raw footage from the first event and quotes from partygoers, including this gem from a Gen Z attendee: “Personally, I feel too old to be here.” Joyface reposted it and it went viral, sitting at over 20 million views. Now, snagging a spot is more lucrative than getting a seat to a Béyonce concert, with tickets selling out in under a minute. Clearly, the olds have spoken: we want to party, we want to dance, and dammit, we aren’t dead yet.
“The community is still there; people still want to come out,” says Vosters, noting that a majority of nightlife caters to the youngest generation of the moment. “There’s this cultural buzz that no one is tapping into.”
Even though the party has since expanded to new locations, Vosters will always consider Joyface the home base. And while the ’70s bar helps to enhance the cool factor—thanks to a rotating disco ball and an actual water bed dressed in silk sheets—Matinée brings a vibe all its own, fueled by a dance-inducing playlist. At each event, Vosters puts together a set that is both “groovy and joyful,” blending snippets from disco divas, b-side funk, and house across the decades. This translates to disco beats remixed with Millennial crowd-pleasers, including “Temperature” by Sean Paul and “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine. Thanks to a ticket cap, Matinée is less crowded than a regular Saturday night out, offering plenty of breathing room to drink, dance, and socialize with fellow partygoers. And while the majority of the crowd is Millennial leaning—enjoy the sights of jeans and a nice top as far as the eye can see—Matinée is open to all with Gen Zers and Gen Xs even making an appearance.
The crowning cherry on top of it all? That goes to the pizza. A staple since day one, Vosters orders boxes of pizzas for each party, arriving around the seven o’clock hour, just as people start to lose steam. While the pizza venue has always changed, the style is always New York—always. “The joy on people’s faces when pizza arrives is really great,” says Vosters.
Outgrowing its roots, Matinée is going on the road starting with Denver and an appearance at SXSW in Austin in March. As for New York, Matinée is popping up at larger venues, including Cafe Balerica in Williamsburg and Mr. Purple in Manhattan, both sold out. But even with new locations and cities like Chicago and Los Angeles on the radar, Vosters maintains that the core of Matinée will always be building community and sparking joy.
“The one thing I really love about this party is that it's attracted this joy. It's still nightlife, but it just seems a lot friendlier and much more accepting. I'm really grateful for the energy that people are bringing into the space,” he said.
To catch the next event, follow Matinée’s Instagram and sign up for their newsletter. If you aren’t lucky enough to snag a ticket, sign up for the waitlist or show up at the door to try to get in.
