House of Zim launches women only dance party, for Sydney’s 35 + crowd

Sydney’s first women-only dance party, aimed at ladies aged 35 and above, has sold out a month in advance, offering a “safe, sophisticated space” to let loose without sticky floors, cheesy DJs and men.

A women only dance party hosting ladies aged 35 and up has sold out a month in advance, described as a safe space for ladies to let loose without sticky floors, cheesy DJs and men.

The trend of women only events has surged in popularity across Europe, and now two sister-in-laws and business partners are bringing the concept to Sydney for the first time.

House of Zim, which is the vision of Jodie Whelan and Jodie De Vries, aims to bring to Sydney’s night-life a “women’s only space that creates wow moments”, by turning the city’s “stunning venues into exclusive dancefloors”.

The launch event on August 16, which now has a waitlist, will have it’s Sydney debut at the The Vault at Machine Hall, where attendees can expect a “beautiful wine list”, with “restaurant quality rose and champagne served in glassware, not plastic”.

Their next party will be held at Sydney’s Harbour floating beach at The Island, on October 24.

The launch party will be held at the Vault in Sydney's Machine Hall. Picture: Supplied

Notably absent from the function will be men, an exclusion aimed at keeping the focus on having fun, said co-creator Jodie Whelan.

“It just creates a different energy on the dance floor when you have only women, we wanted a fun safe space to let loose, just joy, no judgement,” she said.

Perth's the Black Out room has been a raging success since it's Aug 24 launch. Picture: Supplied

“It’s not about dressing up or dancing for the male gaze. It’s all uplifting each other and having a great time.”

Another key difference is the hours of 6pm to 10pm, an evening timeslot which Ms Whelan said catered to the busy, professional woman who still has things the next day.

When asked about the age bracket of 35 and above, Ms Whelan said it was “hyper-specific” toward women who are “always busy, always optimising, running their lives like Fortune 500 companies”.

“It’s understanding all the different balls you’re trying to balance in life, your career, kids, ageing parents, pets. It all starts coming in on you, and somehow fun gets lost along the way,” she said.

House of Zim organisers Jodie Whelan and Jodie De Vries. Picture: Supplied

“And I think it works in very nicely with the music we’re playing from the 90s and 2000s first time around when we’ve started going out.”

Ms Whelan said it was important to note the function was not a nostalgic throwback type event, but rather was about “dancing forward”.

Business woman Louise Nealon, 48 – who has got her ticket for the August debut – said she was keen on not having to “compete with younger people for dancefloor space”.

“This sort of new generation parties are very different … there’s a lot of being on your phone, so I think it will feel like what going out used to be,” she said.

“Plus I’m gonna know all the songs and that's a guarantee I’m gonna have a good night.”

Similarly, Clare Wimshurst 45, who is planning on attending with five other mums, says she looked forward to sharing an evening with women in “certain stages of life”.

“We’ve got a really nice network of mums at the school. We work very hard with hardcore jobs and there aren’t a lot of opportunities for us to let our hair down,” she said

“And it’s nice knowing it’s going to be in an environment that’s not cheesy, with sticky floors like the uni days. It’s a little bit more classy and nice.”

It comes as a similar event called The Blackout Room, has proved hugely popular in Perth which is open to women of all ages to enjoy the “ultimate girls night out”.

Started by two best friends just under a year ago, the event has grown to host 300 attendees at their sell out events.