Jennifer Barton – a New York born Londoner – accepted Eventbrite’s #GTFOChallenge to go to 30 events in 30 days for the experience of a lifetime.

This is what happened in week one.

Wow, what a week. 

I had a lot of feelings ahead of starting this experience. Excitement, at being chosen as the #GTFOChallenge winner. Nerves, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. And surprise, once I started searching for activities on Eventbrite. There were SO MANY. On my doorstep. Lots were free. 

You know that funny thing when you’ve lived somewhere for a long time (I’m a native New Yorker but I’ve been in London for 15 years), and you’ve only just realised there’s a whole level to the city you call home that you have yet to unlock? 

So whatever that feeling’s called… I felt that. 

As I near the end of my first week doing the #GTFOChallenge for Eventbrite, I’m confident I have started to unlock something, and it’s more than the joy of discovering new activities and places to go in London. I can conquer my social anxieties. I can break out of my comfort zone. I can try new things, hard things, scary things, and I can have fun doing it.

Downward dogs at puppy yoga

It all kicked off on Saturday, July 1st. I took my seven-year-old with me to a puppy yoga class run by Helen (@barepawsyoga), which featured six pug-cocker spaniel mix puppies, their pug mum and her sister. (It’s even more adorable than it sounds, if possible.) 

The puppies were frolicking around, demanding cuddles, drinking water, enjoying treats, loving the attention. It was one of those smile-on-your-face experiences for everyone in the studio. We did a bit of yoga, too, some light stretching and a few poses, and my daughter was really engaged with the yoga as well as the animals. I can see how this type of activity can make yoga feel like something less intimidating for those who don’t know much about it, as well as being a fun social experience with friends, partners, kids (there was a hen do celebrating with the pups before us).

Sober dancing might be my new favourite activity

My next challenge? I headed to a school gym in north London for an ecstatic dance class and cacao ceremony run by Tribal Heart Ecstatic Dance (@tribal_heart_ecstatic_dance_uk).

Ecstatic dance is becoming increasingly popular – it’s likened to sober raving – and it’s all about that mind-body connection, feeling embodied, getting in touch with your breath, dancing to some amazing music and not worrying what anyone else thinks. I flung myself around so intensely I woke up with a calf cramp the next day. I tried cacao for the first time, which was intense (it made me dizzy, so sip with caution). I felt connected to strangers sharing the space through movement. Overall, an incredibly powerful experience.

I kept my jazz hands going the next day as I headed to an event put on by Sober Girl Society (@sobergirlsociety), a sober community started by Millie Gooch (@milliegooch). Sober events are on the rise, from hen parties to dry weddings; in fact, the number of sober-friendly events in the UK available to book on Eventbrite has gone up by 101% from 2022 to 2023, with a corresponding increase in attendance of 130%. People want to have fun, to dance, to party, to mingle with like-minded souls… but alcohol doesn’t need to be an ingredient in that cocktail.

This Sober Sweat class had all my favourite ingredients, though: fab music, smiley people, a super-charismatic choreographer (AJ O’Neill, who’s also sober) and really fun dance routines, plus a calming meditation. It was another exercise in getting rid of self-consciousness and simply having a good time. Afterwards, we sipped on non-alcoholic fizz and chatted. (The Sober Girl Society community is so gorgeous.) I left feeling like I’d undergone some kind of internal shift in my thinking… and I haven’t been tempted to touch a drop of alcohol all week.

An unexpected realisation? I spoke to more new people in those few days than I have over the past several months. I can feel my social anxieties starting to melt away. I guess if you push yourself to try things, they get easier. So simple, but why has it taken me so long to learn? 

A sound bath for the soul

Legs sore, body and soul invigorated, I headed to the Mandrake Hotel, a stunning five-star in central London, for my next event, a Full Moon Sound Bath run by Maria Lodetoft (@maria_lodetoft). It was beautifully set up in the penthouse, with blankets, bolsters, cosy pillows and mats to lie on. Gongs and bowls and bells decorated the space. Sound healing is powerful and brings up many emotions. Some people relax and fall asleep, others fidget with frustration. Me? I was thrumming with energy. I left feeling the best I have in months, and the next day, I swear I felt vibrations reverberating through my body. (It sounds insane, but when you try it, you’ll understand!)

Life drawing… but make it technicolour

Next up? Neon Naked Life Drawing. Run by Jylle (@neonnakedlifedrawing), it’s not your typical life drawing class. You’re in a darkened room with UV lights; the model, Marie, was wearing reactive makeup so she looked like an amazing neon sculpture come to life. We were mostly drawing with highlighters, so the art looked incredible under the lights, and there were different tasks for each drawing, like drawing Marie as she moved, which meant my page turned into a giant squiggle. It felt fun and freeing – there was no pressure to make the drawings perfect, which I liked.

Playing tourist in London 

The next day, I headed to the Japanese Embassy, which is one of those amazing London places you don’t expect to be walking into with a free ticket from Eventbrite. The current exhibition is a must for anyone with an interest in Japanese culture, as well as textile and crafts lovers. It’s called Aizome and it focuses on a Japanese indigo dyeing technique. The pieces on display offer gorgeous examples featuring techniques passed down across generations, as well as contemporary interpretations. And it’s free! (But you will need a photo ID and security check since you’re in a government building.)

This was followed up by another London-centric experience, a Soho Rock and Roll Tour run by London with a Local (@londonwithalocal). Two hours of walking around Soho, learning about the history, the tour was packed with tons of fun anecdotes and tips from our guide, Mark. I left feeling a real sense of how Soho had changed over time as well as its significance as an artistic epicentre. It’s a pay-what-you-can-system which means you don’t pay anything upfront, but tip the guide at the end, so anyone, no matter their financial circumstances, can join. 

Facing my fears: public speaking workshop 

My next experience was probably the one I found scariest. I went to a public speaking taster session run by the School of Connection (@schoolofconnection). Fred and Gordon, two charismatic public speaking coaches, led the workshop, and when I first walked in, I thought I might spend an hour-and-a-half trying to hide under the table, especially when we had to start playing word games and eye contact games and mingling with the others in the session. With complete strangers… terrifying, right?

But people there were funny and kind and had similar reasons for wanting to do public speaking (wanting to get rid of filler words so they sounded more confident; not feeling nervous about speaking in front of colleagues). I challenged myself to go in front of the class to speak and was tasked with describing what confidence means for 45-seconds. There are so many things to think about: gestures, vocal projection, how you carry yourself, how you portray confidence, but also vulnerability. By the end of the session, I saw a difference in myself: more confident and aware of what I had to work on. You can sign up for a paid course afterwards, but I was impressed with how informative and helpful that first free taster session was. 

Keep reading about Jen’s adventures with the #GTFOChallenge next week – and follow her daily on