Under 35 Weekend Munch Review
A few months ago I attended my latest U35 Weekend munch. I’ve been to quite a few of these since joining the scene, and as I keep attending it’s clear that there are good things about them. I seem to go every other month or so, as the weekend date means I usually have something clashing with it, though I do think the Saturday date is a good idea.
Hosted in a pub near Farringdon, the Under 35s Weekend munch is held monthly, on the 3rd Saturday of every month. It’s nice to have a weekend munch available - not everyone is able to attend weekday ones, so this means they are not missing out on the opportunity to attend munches full stop. I think this also leads to a different crowd from a lot of munches, so even if you regularly attend most weekday munches, you’ll find new (but experienced) people. In my experience, most kink related weekend events are play parties or clubs, so having a munch on the weekend fulfills a specific need; to socialise with similar people but not late in the night/focused on play, or even as a meeting point before a play based event.
This is an age restricted munch, which always makes for a lot of newbies, at least in my observations, though there’s not as many newcomers as the under 25 or 30s ones. This is understandable, most people who are new to the scene are young, as they’ve finally come of age to explore it. The higher upper age limit means that people who are a little older but have just got into the scene can attend a social event that doesn’t feel too intense or intimidating, which is a common feeling regarding more generalised munches. This higher age range means there are a lot of experienced attendees, people who have been on the scene for years; this has positives and negatives, but one great aspect is being able to find out what events (more play focused) are good, particularly for people who haven’t been to one before.
It does have a good age range, though somewhat biased to the upper side of the age range. I’ve always found someone of a similar age range to myself. One unique thing about this is they’re not as strict on the upper age limit of attendees. They state: The upper “age limit” is a recommended guideline, not a hard and fast rule. We do however want to make it clear that although we are very welcoming, we do not want any of our friends feeling uncomfortable from attendees over this upper “age limit”. It’s very appreciated that they put the feelings of younger people at the forefront of their flexibility, though I do think this is still somewhat intimidating for younger people, especially for those who are practically new to it all. Yet on the other hand it’s still age capped - they’re just a little bit more flexible. There are a lot of mixed thoughts on this flexibility, and understandably so. It’s not something that bothers me too much, as the under 25s and 30s exist, and I’m comfortable about leaving conversations I don’t want to be in. I also think that it prepares you for attending play parties, where there will be a wide range of ages in attendance - you won’t be ring fenced to people within a decade or less of yourself. Going from a community of people solely within a decade or less straight into an event that will very likely have attendees double your age can be scary! So this is a fantastic midpoint.
The Under 35’s weekend munch is always abuzz with conversation; it’s got a very busy feel to it. It’s fairly easy to join in a conversation here, but can feel intimidating at first due to the lack of space. It does mean that there’s never a lull in people to talk to, and you can quickly get to know a lot of people, so it’s good if you’re up for a lot of socialising and conversation, as opposed to a chill evening in a pub, having the occasional conversation. The vibes are very busy, and can feel a little closed off if you’re not that confident. This isn’t the munches fault per se, it’s just the nature of the space it is held in.
It’s good to note that it’s easy to find the munch in the pub. Usually the front room is booked, which is sectioned off from the rest of the pub, and due to the age of the pub, you can’t see in from outside. This means that A) you’re not wandering around trying to find the event, and B), you feel more at ease discussing kink related things. This gives a level of confidence to discussions, so the vibe is somewhat less casual than at other munches.
I’d recommend this munch for younger people who have already been to a few munches and made good connections, or for older people who are new to the scene. I’d also say it’s a good event to visit (for younger attendees) before attending a play party, as you’re able to get a feel of a much more mixed bag of people in comparison to those events that are narrower in their age based ring fencing. I first went after familiarising myself with the scene via the Under 25s and Under 30s, and was pleased to see people I’d met at those events here. Through them, I was introduced to new people - which made me feel very comfortable very quickly. However I’ve also met people from my own accord here, so it’s very similar to a lot of munches in that respect.
It feels like talking to the organisers would be easy, as there’s a somewhat big team of them. This is helpful, as many people will probably know someone who knows an organiser, so they may feel more able to raise concerns or questions.
As with most munches once you’ve been attending them for a good amount of time, It’s a good place to catch up with people you already know, but I find I do this in the bar area rather than the pre-booked room as it’s much quieter, and feels more spacious. Talking in the pre booked room feels as if you’re in somebody’s way, unless you’re sitting down.
Accessibility is something the organisers mention on the FL event listing, so it’s great that they’re actively thinking about it. The munch is in a ground floor room, meaning there are no stairs to navigate. Farringdon station, one of the closest tube stops, does have ramp access - making it doubly accessible. I think most wheelchairs should also be able to fit through at least one of the entry points - I’m going to upload a venue review too, so I will go into further detail then.
In conclusion, the Under 35s Weekend munch is enjoyable, but personally I don’t enjoy the venue which is somewhat off-putting.
I contacted the organisers, who requested the removal of any mentions of the venue’s name