The weekend review: There is no box

Something I’ve spent the last weekend realizing: events are the new club. Some people are into the whole ‘travel is the new club’ movement, but the entry fee is high for that type of party. Events on the other hand come in all shapes and sizes and as we draw closer to the end of the year one becomes spoiled for choice, so let me help you sift through the a few options and scenes to look out for depending on your taste. 

In the context of thoroughly enjoying your weekend, the first guideline is do not be limited by the word event; Event to music concerts and fashion shows (although those are some very entertaining social scenes to find yourselves in) but broaden the definition to include food and drink styled festivals, shopping parties and even Think-Tank gatherings!

The thing with music is that it reaches us emotionally in a way that words alone cannot. Music is a uniting force that people from all walks of life can have in common; some have even called it the strongest form of magic. It is for these reasons and many more that finding quality music events both great and small should be an occasion of joy. Because not only do you get to bask in beautiful sounds, but you also get to meet some beautiful people who share the love of music with you. So If music is your thing you might what to check out:

The Music Lounge coming up this weekend at Villa Medici is a Live Music Event with quality sound at it’s core, welcoming ambience and simply delicious food. Listening to Music is all well and good but fining a platform that curates the live music you listen to while you dine on quality food in Lagos is pretty hard to come by, but this just so happens to be taking place on this Saturday 27th of August, 2016(www.tmllagos.com).

If you would like some more time to plan your music event outing, then keep an eye out for: A(nother) Night At The Kazbah. For now, it’s just a whisper but the crew at Smooth 98.1 are rolling out another quality night of stellar live concert music featuring African acts on Saturday 22nd of October, 2016, but shhh! you didn’t hear it from me.

For a less traditional approach to socialising, there are number of pop-up events that combine several elements from painting to music to food and drink, and those can be the best events of all. Check out Paint The Night Presents Sip &Dip- Something different that you can do with a personally curated group of people, or just so you can meet some new ones! Think about it; to some people drinking and painting might prove challenging but for others perhaps reveal your inner picasso! You won’t know until you try and the opportunity presents itself this Sunday 28th August 2016.

Another possibility of a Hybrid type event to check out is best thought of within the context of this quote: ‘…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?’ -Vincent van Gogh

Label The Unexpected is a night of music, painting and spoken words…by the professionals, but you get to bathe in the excellence of it. It rolls around on the 4th September 2016 and might just be the covertly cool yet sophisticated outing you need to get your weekend mind right.

The Weekend also presents an opportunity to do the things you love to do, and for a lot of people that means working on their own ideas, businesses, goals and dreams. I know, I know it’s the weekend and you’re probably thinking “Who really wants to work during the weekend”… well if it stands to gain you financial freedom and free you from the tyranny of a Job you detest…you do. But the great thing with think tanks and business conferences is that they are great networking opportunities with your “tribe of people”.

This weekend check out: Exodus- A think tank for developing ideas in Nigeria’s sectors and states. A movement of thinkers, mentors and partners with a purpose to shift the condition of Nigeria and the mind of its people – or so the site says ? www.exodus.ng But seriously, it works in cycles and you sit with a group of like minded individuals and work through your ideas thoroughly until you reach a solution. Fed up with the way things are going? well here’s your chance to do something about it and they have a meeting coming up this Saturday the 27th of August 2016. If you need something a bit bigger than a think, where the movers and shakers of the African Business world will be, then The Emergent Continent Conference is the event you want to plan towards- It is Africa’s flagship innovation conference and it’s happening in Lagos on the 16th of November 2016.

If the above suggestions all seem like a lot of work, then think outside the box, or better yet remember that there is no box and create your own low-fuss option: The Binge Movie Weekend. You can turn your home/ your friends home into the perfect chill pad for one, a couple of a group of friends by simply lining up some of the best TV and Movie Options out there. Thank goodness for platforms like Netflix that make it possible to binge watch show like Misfits, Sherlock and Stranger Things.

Whatever you decide to do this weekend, as always, remember to make it your own, because it’s what you do with these precious few days that really count! Carpe Diem until next time!