It’s 8pm at the club. Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” blares from the speakers. The crowd goes wild, jumping up and down and scream-singing the lyrics. You toast the people on your left, you high-five the group on your right—and they’re all women. This is Earlybirds, “a dance party for ladies who got shit to do in the morning,” and it’s coming to Los Angeles this week on the heels of nearly a dozen sold-out events in Chicago and two sold-out parties in New York. Earlybirds Club, a dance party for women, trans and nonbinary folks, starts at 6pm and ends at 10pm because, as cofounder Laura Baginski tells Time Out, “people our age need their sleep.” But that doesn’t mean they want to miss the party, and the party’s coming to the South Bay on January 10 at the Sardine in San Pedro and to Silver Lake on January 11 for a (sold-out) second night at the Virgil. A nationwide expansion is in the works.  At age 49, Baginski fondly remembers going dancing in her 20s and staying out late. Now, she has “no interest in leaving my house at 10pm to start my night,” but she missed dancing and missed having fun nights out with her friends.  She wanted to create a new nightlife experience, one that didn’t include being around “a bunch of cis dudes.” Instead, she wanted to create a completely different event that would fit her life and the lives of her peers better. So Baginski brought the idea to her friend Susie Lee, and Earlybirds bloomed in early 2024. The concept went viral and sold out quickly, clearly filling a need in the nightlife space. Photograph: By Meagan Shuptar “There is something about being in a room full of women that feels really freeing,” Baginski says.  The parties offer a space for attendees to dance, let loose, be silly and “tap into that person maybe you’ve forgotten,” Baginski says.  “There is something about being in a room full of women that feels really freeing.” “It’s very freeing, and it’s so fun,” she says. “It’s just joy.” Attendees typically range in age from 35 to 65, and Baginski emphasizes that Earlybirds is a safe space for trans and nonbinary people. That feels more necessary now than ever.  “We didn't create Earlybirds Club with any kind of politics in mind. But now, in the wake of the election, it feels almost like an act of resistance to provide a safe space for women and the trans and nonbinary communities,” says Baginski. “It's especially important now to come together and feel free and ridiculous and joyful when the outside world can feel hostile and bewildering.”  Photograph: By Meagan Shuptar | Laura Baginski and Susie Lee While the event is a blast, it is also deeply meaningful. At the events, people have shared how much they needed the experience. “Being a middle-aged woman, you kind of feel forgotten by society,” Baginski says. “Your outlets for fun are, like, yoga classes and book clubs. Fuck that, I’ve got way more life in me.”  Seeing a gap in the offerings for women, the duo sprang into action to create this space. “We’re part of a movement where we’re saying, ‘fuck you, middle age.’ We’re here having a blast. We can still do it. We’re not going quietly into the nightlife pasture.” An earlier version of this story appeared on Time Out New York.