Even as global authorities fear the spread of 'lockdown parties' and 'corona bashes' among people who refuse to stay home, conscientious partygoers across the globe are taking their revelry online, and building a new format for socialising while social distancing. From Zoom parties and Skype soirees to FaceTime bashes and Google Hangouts, there are scores of technological options available for people looking to connect with their friends and let their hair down, while keeping their spirits up during quarantine. Here's a look at the trend:
CLUBS GO ONLINE, WHILE LIVE STREAM PARTIES ARE A HITBe it dance parties, raves, quizzes or karaoke - party-goers are now being served the quintessential pub and club experience in their homes.
Among the online clubs sprouting across the internet is Club Quarantine, started by the Toronto-based queer collective Raven's Vision.
"We are all going through a really scary thing right now, and for the queer community, it can be extra hard. Our safe spaces are gone, no way to connect with each other, so I think this has allowed us to do that in some capacity. And simply put we love to party and will always find a way!" the organisers explained to a US publication. Similarly, Hollywood actor Ben Platt hosted a virtual dance party recently, dubbed #Quarantunes,
In China, 'cloud raves' are all the rage, and people are 'clubbing' via livestreaming apps.
Apart from parties, one can also enjoy the traditional pub quiz nights, hosted by clubs around the world, and karaoke, through apps like Karaoke Camp, KaraFun and Smule.
Kolkata-based Amrita Gill, who celebrated her birthday with a digital party last week, tells us, “My fiancé invited all our friend to join us exactly at 12 am on my birthday eve and he made sure that everyone dressed up, because it was a virtual party. I cut my cake, with all of them sing happy birthday on video, and one of our friends even played a song for me on his guitar."
DIGITAL EVENTS TO SPICE UP YOUR SOCIAL LIFEFrom workshops and comedy shows, to concerts, museums and even speed-dating events - digital events are ensuring you can stay busy on weekends.
From Hollywood's John Legend to Indian sarod player Anupam Joshi, several artistes are now hosting concerts online. Why, even a full-fledged music fest like Ultra will now take place on a virtual radio platform, with a lineup that includes Armin van Buuren, Martin Garrix and Major Lazer, while the Berlin Philharmonic will entertain audiences around the world in its digital concert hall. Chinese apps are also hosting Stay At Home concerts and Bedroom Music Festivals for the benefit of the quarantined.
And with a plethora or cooking, photography and music workshops taking place online, besides live music and poetry meet-ups, one's weekend planner needn't be empty anymore just because they can't step out of their homes.
Pune-based couple Shalini Ojha and Bangalore-based Saksham Dutta even went on a 'virtual date' recently. “I found out on Instagram that Charlie Puth was hosting a mini concert, and my girlfriend loves his songs, so I decided to 'take her out' for a date. We both dressed up and made ourselves a fancy dinner, following which we live streamed the concert. During that moment, it didn’t feel like we were away from each other. I kept commenting on the live stream, asking Charlie to say 'hi' to my girlfriend, which he did in the end!” says Saksham
VIEWING PARTIES ON THE RISEA popular TV and movie streaming website is offering a 'party' option, wherein you and your pals can binge watch shows and movies together. There's also an added chat room, for you to stay connected throughout. Aside from that, there are several other apps dedicated to 'watch parties' online, such as Kast and Kosmi. For Mumbai-based Nikhil Karnani, who has been self-quarantined for a week now, such watch parties are much-needed. “For the past four days, I have been constantly watching movies with my friends, and I feel so much better now. I don't feel alone anymore, since my friends are right there, reacting, commenting and chatting alongside. Some of the movies are the ones we had watched together back in college. It was great to relive all those memories too," he tells us.
GIVING ‘HOUSE PARTIES’ A WHOLE NEW SPINWhile you may not be able to physically host brunches or dinners at home anymore, a click of the mouse and reliable WiFi connection can help you bring up to 100 of your pals home. Apps like House Party allow users to connect for a chill night in, while video chatting and even playing games with friends.
Kakoli Biswas, an MBA student, who recently hosted a dumb-charades 'house party' for her friends, says, “It was so much like our real house parties, where we eat, drink and play games. I invited 12 of my friends over Skype, and everyone had prepared a special dish they could feast on while playing. It did get a little chaotic at time, with so many people speaking at once, but I had missed having fun like this.”
STAYING CONNECTED WITH YOUR SQUAD HAS NEVER BEEN EASIERCan't do without your girl gang or that night out with 'the boys'?
There are apps for that too! One such app, Squad, lets you share your screen with friends so that you can "Instagram together. Snapchat together. Tinder together. Shop together. Spotify together". Meanwhile, a popular music streaming site is also offering a “social listening” feature. One can queue their favourite tracks, edit tunes, and bond over their shared love of music. At the same time, Discord - a popular voice chat app, that helps people live stream video games - has expanded its features recently from 10 to 50 users, to help people feel less isolated and stressed out. So, now one can enjoy a night in, playing Call Of Duty with pals, and not feel alone.
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