Escaping the Scroll: Melbourne’s Unique Social Gatherings Are Bringing People Back to Books, Beats, and Bites
In the bustling laneways of Melbourne’s Chinatown, a peculiar hush descends on a Tuesday night. At Aster, a chic cocktail loft, the scene is set not for boisterous chatter, but for quiet contemplation. Samara Sequeira, 38, rings a small bell, and a room full of 35 individuals simultaneously pick up their books, embarking on an hour of dedicated reading. Some patrons enjoy charcuterie and drinks, including non-alcoholic beer and a mezcal negroni, but their focus remains firmly on the pages before them. The silence is broken only when the bell chimes again, signalling the end of this unique literary interlude. This is the brainchild of “Reading Party,” an event series born from the shared struggle of its founders, flatmates Sequeira and Sonja Rose, to carve out time for their beloved pastime in an increasingly screen-dominated world.
“The idea is to stop scrolling and start reading,” explains Sonja Rose, 31, a policy manager who, alongside Sequeira, an HR manager, conceived the series. Both women found their lifelong love for reading dwindling amidst the relentless demands of digital life. “I’ve been a reader my whole life, but it dropped off. I struggle with getting my screen time down,” Rose admits. Sequeira echoes this sentiment, lamenting, “As a kid, I always had a book in my hand. Now, I get distracted and fall into doomscrolling.”
The statistics paint a stark picture of this generational shift. According to the ABS, a mere 14.1 per cent of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) engage in reading on any given day. This pales in comparison to the 47 per cent of those born before 1945 and the 30 per cent of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1965).
Cultivating Connection Through Quiet Pursuits
Beyond simply dedicating time to reading, Sequeira and Rose are keen to explore Melbourne’s diverse venues and foster social connections. Having hosted four successful monthly events with attendance ranging from 30 to 80 people, they are now expanding to twice-monthly gatherings. “We attract people who are avid readers, those who don’t read much but aspire to, and individuals who find it challenging but want to commit time to it,” Sequeira notes.
The literary selections at Reading Party are as varied as its attendees, spanning genres from self-help and romantasy to Sequeira’s personal favourite, which she playfully dubs “women’s rage.” Once the hour of silent reading concludes, participants are invited to mingle, with conversation prompts provided to ease the social transition. Questions like “What’s a habit you would like to build?” and “What did you want to be when you were a kid?” encourage deeper engagement.
“Most people come alone, but there’s a comfortable, happy feeling of us all being together doing something we love,” Sequeira observes. These gatherings often lead to shared dining experiences, exchanges of phone numbers, and enthusiastic book recommendations. While Reading Party doesn’t explicitly promote grand ambitions, its founders understand the profound benefits of immersing oneself in a book. “We are bombarded by social media,” Sequeira states. “Our minds aren’t meant to handle that much information. Reading is a reprieve, a way to open ourselves to new ideas and people.”
Beyond Books: Embracing Expression Through Music and Merriment
Meanwhile, on the Bellarine Peninsula, a different kind of gathering is creating a palpable buzz. At Ket Baker, a beloved bakery in Geelong, owner Miek Paulus has channelled her lifelong passion for techno music into an unconventional event: a dance party. “It ties in with who I am,” Paulus explains. “I want the bakery to be an expression of my identity.”
The inaugural “doof,” held in November, drew approximately 60 revellers for a night of pulsating dance music accompanied by a gourmet sausage sizzle. The atmosphere was undeniably celebratory, perhaps even a little whimsical. “There is so much adversity in the world, but I don’t think we should forget we are lucky to be here,” says the Belgian-born artisan baker. “I want to do… quirky stuff with no judgement that also lowers the threshold for people to talk to each other. We are all neighbours. The boundaries we set up take away the beauty in our lives.”
Cultivating Community Around the Dinner Table
In the bayside suburb of Elwood, Ruth Heenan is meticulously planning the theme for her next Root’s Supper Club. For the past two years, Heenan has hosted ticketed dinner parties at her home, welcoming between 12 and 19 guests for a carefully curated multi-course menu. Themes have ranged from French and Thai to Tiki and winter solstice celebrations, with upcoming events rumoured to be Greek or Japanese in origin.
“I was bored and I needed a hobby,” says Heenan, a communications manager by profession. “This includes all the things I like: researching, sourcing ingredients, cooking, bringing people together. My motivation wasn’t to make friends but I have: 70 per cent of people are return visitors.”
Heenan believes she is providing a much-needed antidote to increasingly solitary lifestyles. “People live more solitary lives,” she remarks. “The supper clubs reference house parties and extended family gatherings, those environments with lots of people and overlapping conversations.”
Guests are asked to make a donation of $89, a figure that may or may not cover all the associated costs. “I don’t run it like a business,” Heenan clarifies. “I vaguely know how much I have to play with.” While opening her home to strangers carries its challenges, Heenan emphasizes the overwhelmingly positive experiences. “One time it wasn’t the vibe I wanted, but almost everyone has been incredibly respectful. I love hearing the laughter. It’s such a feel-good thing.” These diverse initiatives, from silent reading parties to energetic dance sessions and intimate supper clubs, highlight a growing desire among Melburnians to reconnect with themselves and each other in meaningful, often unconventional, ways.
