This Nightclub for the Elderly Is Fighting Loneliness with Tea Party Raves

“We’re the only club event in the world where someone was rushed to the hospital because they forgot to take their drugs."

By Colin Drury

In a darkened and sweltering room in Hackney, dozens of people are dancing to pounding 50s rockabilly. The men are in braces and cravats; the women in sparkling dresses and pork pie hats. Most are sipping booze served in flutes. All cheer when the host—dressed in a bow tie, shirt, and hot pants—climbs on stage and introduces a flapper girl group. So far, the event is so East London.

There are, however, perhaps two slight differences between this and your average night out. First, it’s only 2 PM. Second, all 120 partygoers here are at least 60-years-old, and often considerably older. Welcome to The Posh Club, an outrageous weekly cabaret-style party for people who—like the china the afternoon tea is served on—are of a certain vintage.

“When I first started performing here,” says Elvis impersonator Conrad Hamilton, “I thought, OAPs [retired people], relaxed gig, no problem. I could not have been more wrong. It’s the only place I’ve ever had underwear thrown at me.” There’s a pause of recollection. “They were big granny’s panties,” he says.

To read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5az48/this-nightclub-for-the-elderly-is-fighting-loneliness-with-tea-party-raves