New Orleans has never had trouble finding reasons to dance, but the city’s nightlife often requires a willingness to stay out well past midnight. A touring dance party coming to the House of Blues this fall offers another option: four hours of throwback music, community and unapologetic fun, followed by enough time to get home and enjoy a full night’s sleep.
Earlybirds Club will make its New Orleans debut Saturday, September 26, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the House of Blues New Orleans, 225 Decatur Street. The event is open to guests 21 and older and is designed primarily as a welcoming, women-centered space for women, trans and non-binary people.
The concept is summarized by the club’s decidedly adult tagline: “A dance party for ladies with sh*t to do in the morning.”
Instead of asking guests to wait until most clubs are only beginning to fill up, Earlybirds Club starts at 6 p.m. and ends promptly at 10. DJs fill the evening with familiar pop, hip-hop, R&B, new wave, house and Latin music from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. The atmosphere is intended to feel more like a communal celebration than a traditional nightclub, with an emphasis on nostalgia, kindness and freedom from judgment or unwanted attention.
Earlybirds Club was co-founded in 2024 by high school friends Laura Baginski and Susie Lee. The two wanted to create a place where women and gender-expansive people could dance without dealing with the late hours, pressure and discomfort that sometimes accompany conventional nightlife. What began as a party for their community expanded into a touring event appearing in cities throughout the country.
The idea has drawn national attention, including a December 2025 appearance by Baginski on The Kelly Clarkson Show. During the segment, Baginski discussed how the feeling inside a nightclub changes when women are able to relax their guard, dance freely and connect with one another in a space created with them in mind.
Baginski has described dancing as more than a diversion from daily responsibilities.
“It’s movement and dance,” Baginski told San Diego Magazine. “We’ve learned now that it’s really essential to being a happy person.”
That sense of release appears to be a major part of the club’s appeal. For many adults, especially parents, professionals and caregivers, going dancing can feel like something that belongs to an earlier period of life. Traditional clubs might not become active until 10 or 11 p.m., creating an all-or-nothing choice between participating in nightlife and being functional the following morning.
Earlybirds Club turns that schedule around. Guests can meet friends after work, dance to songs associated with their younger years and still leave before the French Quarter reaches its late-night peak. The early schedule is part of the experience rather than a concession, providing a reminder that growing older does not require giving up the things that once brought joy.
The New Orleans gathering will also have a local presence. Earlybirds Club has named Katharine Schweighardt as its New Orleans ambassador. Schweighardt, a millennial mother, vintage clothing seller and former school operations executive, has lived in the city for approximately 15 years. She is also involved with the Ladies of Leisure Kaftan Krewe and provides route-side security with the 610 Stompers during Carnival.
“I love bringing people together, finding reasons to celebrate, and saying yes to a dance floor,” Schweighardt wrote in her ambassador profile. “I can’t wait to bring a little New Orleans spirit to the dance floor and dance with you.”
The party also carries forward the memory of Earlybirds Club co-founder Susie Lee, who died from breast cancer in August 2025. Ten percent of ticket proceeds from Earlybirds Club events is placed into the Susie Lee Legacy Fund, which makes quarterly donations to organizations supporting women, gender-expansive people and historically marginalized communities.
The fund contributed $39,910 to nonprofit organizations during 2025. Its areas of support include mental health and community building, safety and domestic violence services, inclusion and self-expression, women’s health, cancer support, caregiving and grief resources.
Although Earlybirds Club was created as a safe space for women and gender-expansive people, organizers state that they do not police anyone’s identity at the door. Anyone 21 or older can legally attend, but ticket holders are asked to understand and respect the women-centered purpose of the gathering. Unwanted advances, predatory behavior and conduct that makes other guests uncomfortable are not tolerated.
In a city where dancing is woven into everything from second lines and Carnival parades to neighborhood festivals and ordinary Saturday nights, Earlybirds Club is not introducing New Orleans to the dance floor. It is offering a different way to experience it: earlier, more intentionally and in a room where attendees are encouraged to let go of their responsibilities for a few hours.
Earlybirds Club takes place Saturday, September 26, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the House of Blues New Orleans, 225 Decatur Street. The event is restricted to guests 21 and older with valid identification. Tickets are available through the official Earlybirds Club event page and Ticketmaster.
