8 March party in Montpellier — karaoke, games, dancing

How the idea came about

The conversation started in mid-February, and it started literally like this: let’s do a “second Maslenitsa” — only for 8 March. Several options went round the chat: renting a hall, or booking a table somewhere with both a dance floor and karaoke. In the end the community picked the one that committed nobody to anything — a pub-bar in central Montpellier, in a quiet little street between Saint-Roch station and Place de la Comédie. The location was the clinching argument: it is an equally easy walk from the station and from the city centre.

The first announcement landed in the chat on 23 February — “on 7 March I suggest we set the place on fire… there will be a karaoke evening laid on just for us, and dancing till we drop” — and it was pinned. The next day came the final version, with the address, the time and the programme; that one was pinned too. In a community where half the decisions are born in a chat thread, two pinned messages in a row mean exactly one thing: this is definitely happening.

The logistics that actually mattered

The critical detail was not the music but the numbers: the organiser had to give the bar a head count before 1 March and reserve the tables. So sign-ups went through a poll in the chat — “if you’re coming, tick the poll”. The same constraint explains the vagueness about timing: at first “I’d say around 7 or 8 pm, the bar is open until 1 am, we’ll fix it once we know how many people are coming to dance and sing”, and then, in the final announcement, a meet-up at 7.30 pm on Saturday 7 March.

Two questions that always come up in the chat were answered explicitly. First: is this only for women and couples? — “Entry is free for everyone.” Second: how much does it cost to take part? — nothing. No fees, no compulsory package: you order from the menu like on any other evening, and pay by card. The menu was described honestly in the announcement: charcoal-grilled meat, burgers, salads and a long cocktail list. The men got a separate invitation to contribute to the programme: “a song, a dance, a poem, or simply your presence”.

How the evening went

The night before, a video invitation went out in the chat, along with a reminder to choose a karaoke song. On the morning of 7 March: “we’re meeting at karaoke tonight, a song is the best possible present” — and almost immediately, from one member: “I’ll sing you that song tonight.”

The plan had been modest: ten or fifteen people, karaoke and small presents. Noticeably more turned up, many of them with husbands and children. Every woman was handed a flower at the door, and then the programme began — games, dancing, karaoke. The evening was led by the community’s own host, who also accompanied the singing, while a friendly French animator helped run the karaoke. The announcement had promised “a real Russian-French 8 March”, and that is exactly what happened: the bar’s room was shared with its other guests, so by the end of the night the French, the English and the Germans were all singing along to our hits.

What was left afterwards

Officially the evening ran until 1 am — that is when the bar closed — but the chat woke up even later: the first thank-yous landed at around two in the morning. People thanked the team for two things at once, “for organising the party and for the games”, and in the same breath asked for the videos to be posted “for nostalgia’s sake”. On the morning of 8 March the organiser put together a big photo report — nineteen frames — members added their own photos and videos, and the team that had prepared the party wrote the essential thing: they had tried hard, but it was the people who showed up who made the evening real.

There was a separate category of messages too, from those who never made it and were watching the videos the next morning: “I slept right through it! Glad I’ll be with you next time.” Which is precisely who the photo reports are for. The messages from that night are reproduced below, exactly as they were written in the chat.

If you want to come to the next one

For anyone who grew up in the CIS, 8 March is a holiday you miss badly abroad: it simply isn’t in the local calendar. That is why this format works and can be repeated — a neutral venue in the city centre, free entry, no collection, and you can come alone, as a couple or with the whole family, sing or just sit at the shared table. The one thing asked of you is to tick the poll in advance: the organiser needs to give the bar a head count and book the tables.

The idea for this evening, incidentally, grew out of the Maslenitsa in Le Crès park two weeks earlier. And the next gathering was announced the very day after the party: “we’ve got a joint hike on 29 March” — and it happened, the hike to Château de Montferrand. That is how it works here: one event gives birth to the next, while the announcements, the polls and the sign-ups all live in the community chat.