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 three.

My month continues apace: new destinations, new activities, new events and new people daily. It’s been a thrilling ride so far.

Books + Brunch = Dream Saturday

As a keen reader, I was excited to see an Eventbrite listing for Brunch Book Club’s 4th birthday discussion and brunch session. The group was discussing Women’s Prize shortlisted novel, Trespasses, by Louise Kennedy, which happened to be the book I was reading, so it felt meant to be. 

This book club started by Taragh Godfrey in 2019 brings together a lovely group of people once a month through both virtual and IRL meet-ups (@brunchbookclub). Our day started with a two-hour Zoom book chat dissecting the book before we gathered for a bottomless brunch at Paradise Green in Bank and tucked into eggs, granola, prosecco and fabulous conversation… before the party continued at Be at One.  

The whole vibe was relaxed and friendly; this felt like the type of group I could easily attend monthly… or drop into whenever I have some free time. I loved how there was no pressure to finish the books or turn up to the entire day of events, which I know a lot of the members appreciated. (Others loved how the discussions made them more disciplined about their reading.) The book club reads a very cool and diverse selection of books and Taragh’s recommendations are incredible. Goodie bags at the event featured copies of The Situationship by Taylor-Dior Rumble or Love Struck by Laura Jane Williams, so I’ll be reading those next…  

Crystal-infused cocktails – without alcohol – are the best drinks ever

My next event saw me heading to Fire + Alchemy in Shoreditch, a very cool crystal cafe/studio space that opened earlier this year, for an alcohol-free cocktail event hosted by reiki master and ex-Michelin starred mixologist, Alex Norwood Hill, aka The Sober Sommelier (@sobersommelier). 

I haven’t had a sip of alcohol all month (and I like how I’m feeling as a result), so this was a fun way to try some delicious cocktails without any booze. When I say delicious, I mean, party-in-my-mouth, energy-in-my-steps, best-thing-I’ve-ever-tasted-like-EVER kind of delicious. The kind of drinks that leave you feeling glorious after every sip… which is not something I experience often with alcoholic beverages, I should add. The cocktails I had were infused with black tourmaline, to make you feel grounded, and golden healer quartz; the other ingredients, from marigold to sacred spring water to an agave-based, alcohol-free tequila and botanical-infused beverages, were also amazing. Met some lovely (sober) folks and couldn’t leave without acquiring some healing crystal jewellery – a crown and a choker – from Karen (@indigo_sacred_creations) who hosted a pop-up on the day. 

Sharpening up my sword skills with Italian sword fighting and samurai classes

I never would have expected to find myself in a Vauxhall church (turned town hall) swirling a 1.5 kilo sword around my head and mastering moves from 16th century Italy, but that’s one of the coolest things I’m taking away from this experience: there are so many interesting activities to book into on any given day on Eventbrite.

Even better, the taster session for the Intro to Italian Swordsmanship class, run by Tempus Fugitives (@tempusfugitives) was free.

It was quite the workout: from footwork to lunges to catching bouncing balls, not to mention all of the arm and shoulder moves, this class is an excellent way to make fitness a bit different and fun. Once we got our swords (and sabre helmets and buckler shields), everything suddenly felt real. You’re not supposed to blink as the sword makes contact with your helmet, but that’s something I’ll work on. (Along with everything else…)

After swordfighting Italian-style (did I mention all the moves we learned were authentic to what would have been taught centuries earlier?), I headed off to a truly unique experience, also with swords: samurai class at The Place in Kings Cross, with one of the fight choreographers from Kill Bill Vol. 1, Tetsuro Shimaguchi (@samurai.kengido).

Such a memorable evening learning this samurai method from the Kamui performers: it’s a combination of martial arts and performance art, with an emphasis on communication and storytelling (rather than bloodshed, thankfully.) 

It was a joy from start to finish: we watched the samurai troupe perform and then they taught us various moves and poses and sword play. Top tip? Eye contact is everything. At the end,  we did a mini performance ourselves. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before and I can’t wait for them to come back to the UK so I can book in for another session. 

Keep reading about Jen’s adventures with the #GTFOChallenge on this blog – and follow her daily on: