Stockholm’s twenty-somethings cut loose at mid-day discos

Some people work out, others go for a stroll, and many just eat lunch hunched over their desks. But in Stockholm, a growing number of twenty-somethings have been opting out of those tired routines; instead, they are hitting the dance floor for noon-hour parties.

Molly Ränge launched the midday discos last year because she was “working too hard.” The parties, known as “Lunch Beat,” break up the monotony of the workday, says the 28-year-old co-founder of CrowdCulture, a Swedish crowdsourcing start-up that supports cultural initiatives. Entry fees, which range from $6 to $15, include a bagged lunch and water. Drugs and alcohol are strictly banned—as is all talk of work. Dancing, however, is mandatory.

Ränge’s not-for-profit nooner discos are spreading across Europe and beyond. Dance enthusiasts from cities as far away as San Francisco, Taipei and Toronto have inquired about opening local chapters.