It’s BYOB at Witching Hour—bring your own baby, that is.
The new monthly social club, geared at the 0-5 age range and their parents, launched this past October on a rainy evening at Please! Tasting Room in Mount Pleasant. Inside the cozy bar the scene was, well, kind of magical. Toddlers zipped down a plastic slide, babies cooed in carriers, parents and pals sipped cocktails, and the room was abuzz with music and mingling. Playdate heaven? We think so.
While there are kiddo-friendly bars in the city, there’s always a layer of stress that comes with bringing an unpredictable tiny human to a seated setting—especially that inevitable moment when they want “up, UP!” and out of their high chairs. Enter Witching Hour, the brainchild of Stacy McLachlan, a writer, comedian, and mama to 22-month-old Coco.
“I don’t want to sound like a lush or anything, but I’ve taken my baby to an extraordinary number of bars,” says McLachlan. I guess my parenting philosophy is just, ‘bring her along for the ride,’ so that means she’s spent many hours at breweries or wine bars or after-work drinks with me and my friends.” Easy-ish with a baby but more challenging with an active tot, McLachlan dreamed up a joke bar called Toddlerz: no hard corners on tables, a play zone, and patrons who were chill with the under-five set. “I realized that the right bar could probably just be transformed into a toddler-friendly space with a little planning. Be the bar you wish to see in the world, right?”
As for a venue, Please! founder Noel Steen, with two small kids himself, was immediately on board. They set capacity at 50 adults plus their littles, and a time frame of 3 to 7pm, that notoriously wild post-nap stretch (ahem, “witching hour”) which can also be a struggle for caregivers to plan activities for as the days get dark; hitting a pitch-black playground is no fun. With their ticket, adults get a cocktail—think small-batch Grapefruit Palomas mixed with fresh juice and local herbs, or a tasty zero-proof beverage—and can order kid-friendly food like chicken fingers and mac ‘n’ cheese. Babies and toddlers get treated to a new playspace with buckets of lego and trucks, and parents can feel at ease in a space of total acceptance. Toddler meltdown? No judgemental eyes here. Apple juice spills? It’s chill.
When the first event was announced on Instagram, more than 100 people shared it and tickets flew; McLachlan was floored. Day of, no icebreakers were needed among the friends and strangers that filled the space, which truly felt like a party. “Trailing along after a toddler really forces you to work the room,” says McLachlan, adding, “I was a little worried about accidentally starting a toddler fight club. But it went so smoothly.” The second event (November 14) sold out in three hours.
“Parenting can be an isolating and lonely experience sometimes, so I feel happy to have created even a small space for people to come out and build some community,” says McLachlin. “There’s something whimsical about being in a room full of these little roaming creatures once you lean into it.”
Get tickets here. —Katie Nanton
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