Light up the Night with Friends

Friends with Lights sparked up in 2012 when two friends, after years of sitting on the lawns at Meredith and Golden Plains, decided they wanted the buzz to last.  “We just hired a little town hall and had a party”, Bec Barlett, one part of the duo explained.  With her partner, Becc Wade, they’ve been hosting parties and bike quests ever since and “Each one has been a little bit bigger and more colourful than the last,” she said.

The Friends with Lights Warehouse Parties are interactive nights out, with local DJs, handmade installments, and low fi lighting using overhead projectors and shadow screens.  “We go in and decorate the space and make it look really individual so each party definitely has its own vibe” said Barlett.  The bike quests began as a way to push the parties up to the next level, but were so much fun they became a regular thing.

Other than providing something to do with your mates outside the pub, the quests combine the cunning of a scavenger hunt with the agility of a bike race.  “What makes them work so well is people turning up not quite knowing what to expect, even if they’ve been to one before, and you send them off on this funny little adventure with surprises along the way.”

On past adventures, participants have built glowing bottle rockets and performed shadow puppet shows: “They tend to come back really hyperactive and chatty, giggling about funny things that happened – like one of the girls had her pedal fall off and she had to finish with one pedal”.

But if you’re not the biking type, there’s entertainment enough for spectators as well, who are encouraged to take part in the final challenge and the BBQ afterwards.

The final bike quest of the summer is on March 22^nd so whether you’re a rider or a watcher, it’s set to be one unique night before the Awkward Family Portrait Warehouse Party on April 5^th.

FRIENDS WITH LIGHTS SUMMER BIKE QUEST
Brunswick Veledrome, Harrison St, Brunswick East
From 5:00 pm, $10
Find the Facebook event here

FRIENDS WITH LIGHTS AWKWARD FAMILY PORTRAIT WAREHOUSE PARTY
Norm Warehouse, 34 Breese st Brunswick
From 8pm, $15
Find the Facebook event here and the Friends with Lights Facebook page here