There’s a new party series happening in some of Toronto’s most iconic venues, but there’s a catch: you can only get invited through a friend who has an invite.
“Can I bring a friend?” parties were created by a local, who wanted to be identified as Gerry. He describes the parties as his passion project.
“I started in March this year, I’ve been throwing parties since university. I’m in my early 30’s now, so every year I would just do one or two big parties just for my friends to get together and stay connected. Then over the years, they kind of got bigger and I made it more interesting every time with a different theme,” he said in an interview with Now Toronto.
“The whole thing of ‘Can I bring a friend?’ was just the number one question I used to get asked. That’s why I thought it’d be really cool if you can grow your friends that way, grow your network. It’s just about meeting other cool people,” he continued.
Gerry says the concept is to invite his friends and have them invite their friends. Eventually, he lets the power of word of mouth spread the message.
“…Once their friends come, they can then come to the next event and they can bring additional friends and it grows through that theme. The ‘friends only’ part was an invite only thing, it’s not open to the public,” Gerry said.
He explains that by having only friends of friends as guests, they can ensure that the party is a safe and respectful space for everyone.
The organizer said he was inspired to create bigger parties simply because he enjoys throwing events and being creative with them. His most recent party was held at the Toronto Reference Library where he impressed guests with huge tree activations, food, an open bar, a flower station and a poetry station.
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“…I always thought in a different life, I would’ve been a wedding planner. And then it was just really cool to have different activations at really iconic venues and have people you love experience them, enjoy them and their friends can enjoy it as well…I also felt like Toronto just had so many cool venues and there wasn’t anyone doing something outside the box,” he said.
Gerry says his overall goal is to provide his friends with the ultimate party experience where guests can leave with the impression of “wow, that was really cool.”
“Whenever someone’s asking, ‘What’s your goal for this?’ I was just like, have a really, really good time with your friends. That’s literally what I would get them from all of it, just have a really, really good time,” he said.
“Can I bring a friend?” parties usually involve an element of surprise and mystery with an occasional theme.
“For example, this one, all I told guests was that it was going to be at the Toronto Reference Library, and I said that the theme of it is ‘Forest in the Library’…And then I basically go from there,” Gerry said.
“The total activation involved ball pits. There was a balloon, igloo thing…There’s 500 LED roses, 2K LED candles. There was also tacos, food, all that kind of stuff,” he said.
His past events include a Y2K (2000’s) themed party and a private event at the Art Gallery of Ontario, but of course both events involved special surprises.
“So, I told people it’s a Y2K theme but then I had robots come in with lasers, and a claw machine station where people can get Narutos, Sasukes, you know, plush toys for free. And then this other one was at the AGO and…when people walked in, there were massive cherry blossom trees and there were candles,” he explained.
He emphasizes that it’s best if guests come in with no expectations and an open mind, but at the same time, not to expect the bar to be low. In addition to unpredictable activations, the organizer also includes local vendors, small businesses and a charity component for people to support.
For example, at the Toronto Reference Library party, guests were asked to bring a book to donate to support the library’s children literacy programs.
Gerry says the parties are mostly funded by ticket sales and tries to break even, but despite this, his main mission is for guests to have a good time.
“…The goal is bigger every time and to also make sure that it’s a unique experience,” he said.
As for upcoming parties, Gerry says he’s cooking up an event for August or September, and details can be found here. Ticket prices will be given upon receiving the invite.
