Photograph courtesy Earlybirds Club
The Earlybirds Club makes its return to Cincinnati on July 31, providing a dance party experience to Queen City girls, gays, and theys with “s*** to do in the morning.” The traveling alternative to traditional nightlife kicks off at Ludlow Garage at 6 p.m., then ends at 10 p.m. so partygoers can get to bed at a reasonable hour.
The intention behind Earlybirds Club is to provide a safe space for women, trans, and non-binary folks from all walks of life to party without late-night culture concerns: judgment, drama, or creeps. The club encourages its attendees to dance their hearts out to a wide range of music—’80s, ’90s, and 2000s pop, hip hop, R&B, new wave, house, and Latin—all while supporting a good cause. All proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Susie Lee Legacy Fund, which makes donations quarterly to organizations that help women, gender-expansive people, and those in need. The fund also honors Earlybirds co-founder Susie Lee, who passed from breast cancer in August last year.
“I feel Susie very strongly at these parties because it was what she was about: living in the moment, appreciating your friends, supporting your friends, loving your friends, dancing, and music,” says Laura Baginski, who founded Earlybird with Lee. “We talk about her at every party. She is very front and center, and always will be.”
Earlybirds Club has been a success since its inception in 2024 after Baginski and Lee reunited at a high school reunion, with the first party in the backrooms of a bar in Chicago. Since then, their parties have gained media coverage and grown a large audience. Just last December, Baginski was featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show to discuss how the organization has gathered a community across the country.
“Our first party sold out, and a lot of people came that we didn’t even know. There was a horrible snowstorm that night, and still, a lot of people came,” Baginski says. “This was the most fun we had in years, and that’s when we knew we were really onto something.”
The parties traditionally attract women ages 35 to 55, but have spread to younger generations with busy work lives as well. Earlybirds Club has also brought in many mother-daughter duos over the age of 21, looking for bonding opportunities and to enjoy nostalgic music together.
“At our Baltimore party, we had a grandmother, mother, and a daughter: three generations at a party. That’s just so cool,” Baginski remarks.
Partiers are not the only family business at Earlybirds Club; the organizers have one, too. DJ hbom, who spins tracks at most celebrations, is Earlybird’s music director, business partner, and is also the cousin of Lee, who recruited her in the early stages of the club’s success.
Photograph courtesy Earlybirds Club
Now, that same popularity Earlybirds Club garnered upon its first visit to Cincinnati back in April, which garnered about 600 partygoers, has encouraged a return to the city this month at a historic music venue. The ambassador for Cincinnati’s party, Rachel Folz, was a DJ in college and is now a self-proclaimed businesswoman by day and trivia host by night. For her, Earlybird’s commitment to making a fun, safe, and responsible space for partygoers to have a night out struck Folz as something the ladies of Cincinnati would love.
“I love hosting parties,” Folz says. “I’m throwing a party for 600 people who are just there to have a good time, but really, legitimately, my feet are in the sheets by 11 p.m. That is a wonderful piece of continuity. Because I was a DJ in college, and known for throwing parties, this felt like a natural extension of the way I lived.”
While not a Cincinnati, native Folz has lived in the city for 13 years and felt that its active community and vivid nightlife would allow the Earlybirds Club to thrive here.
“We are a community full of people who love to do things, who love going out with people, who love new experiences, and who love having reasons to gather. Earlybirds is just another reason to get together with others,” Folz says.
“Wear whatever you feel comfortable in and leave your worries at the door, if you can. Be as present as possible,” Baginski says. “This is the time to not worry about what anyone thinks, because nobody cares. Everyone is going to cheer you on. Prepare to sweat, prepare to have a good time, and prepare to get all your steps in in those four hours!”
Tickets are currently on sale for $40.
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