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 two.

I’m buzzing with energy as my month of daily #GTFOChallenges continues. Getting out of my routine – no, let’s call it what it really was, a rut – has been eye-opening on many levels.  

This experience has impacted me hugely. I’m not even halfway through but I feel different. 

More confident meeting new people. 

Exploring new places. 

Less worried about “messing up” when I try something new. 

And excited about continuing these new activities long beyond the month of July. I keep trying things I want to do again and again.

My top tip so far? There’s a lot of free stuff going on in this city, and it’s all easy to find on Eventbrite. 

Here’s what I’ve been up to… 

The future of fashion? Repair & swap

As someone who cherishes my clothes, particularly the pieces in my wardrobe I’ve held onto from my late mother, I’m already a convert to the “don’t throw your clothes out, spruce them up” mentality. Except I’ve been lazy on the refashioning and repairing side of things, so a lot of my items have missing/broken buttons, holes in places, broken straps, etc.

I was excited to head to Repair and Refashion Your Clothes with Eleanor and Sarah from Fast Fashion Therapy (@fastfashiontherapy), which runs at The Create Place in Bethnal Green twice a month. 

I brought along a few pieces in need of some TLC and spent the 90-minute session replacing a broken button on my mother’s vintage Givenchy polka dot dress with a new one and patching up the holes in my beloved US flag print leggings. Eleanor and Sarah provided tons of tips and support with my sewing. It was a really lovely social atmosphere, too.

I had another fashion event on the agenda this week: A Swap Shop by Loanhood, a pop-up in Selfridges on until the end of July. Try it; swapping is better than shopping and doesn’t cost a penny!

This is how it works: simply bring in a few clothing items gathering dust in your wardrobe. They need to be in good condition, and to retail between £50-£300 RRP. 

Swap them for stamps, then have a browse through the racks and pick out your new items. There was tons of cool stuff available, from party frocks to jumpsuits, leather jackets to designer denim. (I spotted labels like Helmut Lang, Needle and Thread and Kenzo, to name a few.)

As well as some amazing vintage… I walked out of there as if I’d won the lottery with my spoils: a Gant plaid summer blazer, a floor length Lace & Beads polka dot dress and a vintage shoulder padded satin jacket from Helmar. 

Loanhood’s (@loanhood) pop-up was stunning and I’m definitely going to check out the platform’s rental options as well as hitting up some future swaps.

The joys of group running

Fun fact: on Eventbrite, loads of sporty brands host free fitness and run club sessions. And from my experience at Puma x The Running Channel’s Run Club event, a 5k run which took off from the Puma store on Carnaby Street, I assure you, they are endorphin-fuelled and an extremely sociable way to spend an evening. 

Plus, you get free kit! (A shirt to keep, and I borrowed a pair of Deviate Nitro 2 Pumas with carbon-plating technology to improve my stride for the 5K itself.) 

I have to be honest, I didn’t think I’d enjoy running 5K through central London very much. But all my hesitations quickly disappeared when I started chatting to a few people ahead of the run, then realised the crowds on Regent Street were cheering us along our journey. The energy was infectious. 

And green-blue nature benefits are a real thing, too: as we ran through St James’s Park, I was struck by the beauty of the scenery, the tranquillity, the swans chilling as we ran past. 

Halfway through the run, we split into groups and did 100m sprint relay races, which was also super fun as you couldn’t help chatting to others and feeling a part of something. I floated home that night, smiling at how something so simple, free of charge and unexpected, plus the connections made with a group of strangers, could feel so special.

Dance 101: Whacking 

I love discovering new people, places and activities, so I was very excited to try an Open Level Whacking Class, run by Joanna Woźnicka (@jowoznicka) in Marylebone. 

Whacking (sometimes called “punking” or “waacking”) is a type of dance born in the gay clubs of 70s L.A. alongside funk and disco music. There’s an emphasis on sharp arm movements and expressive gestures – think a lot of strong elbow and shoulder movements (overheads), as well as playing around with choreography to evoke different moods (flirty, angry, etc).  

The class I took was the final session of a six-week course so I was a little nervous joining the group but the members couldn’t have been more welcoming. I felt totally un-self conscious and pushed myself physically and mentally to learn the movements and the routines to keep moving for two hours. I felt invigorated and exhausted by the end, like my body had really achieved something. Will definitely be employing these moves on every dance floor from now on so watch out, world! 

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