My Event Full Life is your chance to take a peek inside the lives of some of Eventbrite’s most seasoned organisers as they share the secrets behind their success. What lessons have they learned along the way? What advice has been the most valuable? And what keeps them up at night? Get ready to be inspired.
Vibes in the Park is a safe space for the Black community to connect and celebrate with each other over music, food, and culture in Denver, Colorado. The event has grown organically from a socially-distanced word-of-mouth picnic to a regular meet-up of 250-300 people with more than 10,000 Instagram followers.
Close friends Gabrielle and Tiffany have been running Vibes in the Park – or Vibes, as it is affectionately known – for the past three years. Reflecting on their journey and success, the pair still have pinch-me moments, but are honored to be able to serve and support the community in such a meaningful way.
Here, they talk to us about the importance of community, boundaries, and (authentic) partnerships.
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We get the biggest thrill from seeing our community show up to our event. There are always lots of new faces and people meeting each other for the first time. Everyone is listening to music, dancing, and feeding off of each other’s energy. It makes us feel very full. – G
Vibes has always been community-first, and, as a result, we’ve grown very organically. From socially distanced meet-ups, where everyone brought their own speakers and snacks, to now where everyone is together, and we’re able to partner with local food vendors and small businesses and provide entertainment from local DJs. We just started grabbing people who we knew could keep this momentum and keep everything going. – T
People feel seen at our events. We have an amazing friend Sierra Daniels-Baker, who is our photographer. She captures the Black experience so well – the elegance, the fulfilment, the joy. People love seeing themselves and their friends in the photos. People say, “That’s my mom, look how beautiful she looks.” They love to share photos on social media and can’t wait for the next event. – T
We wanted a safe space where our people could come together, from toddlers and babies to grandmas and grandpas. There aren’t many spaces in Denver where we are the majority and we wanted to curate a space that celebrated all of our different expressions of Blackness. Black is not a monolith. There are so many different types of Black people at the park, with different hairstyles and skin tones; it is so beautiful and everyone feels included. They just come as unapologetic and authentic as they want to be. – G
You can express yourself fully. When people set up their grass area, we embrace that they have their own cultural themes or flags from their country. You’re part of the diaspora of the Black community, and you see different people representing who they are. It’s not club culture; you don’t have to wear the cutest outfit or hold a bottle to show you’re important. We’re back in nature, and that brings out that playfulness. People can let their guard down a bit. – T
Being in nature is so powerful. We’re out here with the sunlight hitting our melanin; our toes are in the grass. People are grounded, and they don’t even know it. We’re going to hit up some hot springs soon with some of our community. Again, it’s giving permission for Black people to be out in nature in places that don’t feel available to us. Many people hesitate about how we might be perceived in those spaces, ‘What are you doing on the mountain?’. – G
There are many rules in the park. We work very hard to remind our guests of the rules and regulations in the park through our posted signs and friendly reminders. People bring tents to the event, and with that, the tent needs to be in compliance. You also have to be able to see inside the tent on all sides. That keeps us responsible and aware while respecting the park environment. – T
The weather is so erratic out here in Colorado, it can cause chaos for us. One time, a cloud came over in what seemed like a matter of seconds and flooded the park with rain. We had to evacuate quickly. Those moments can be intense. You want to keep everybody safe, and you also don’t want to ruin the equipment and belongings that everybody brings out. – T
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Take your time and don’t jump on every partnership opportunity. You can only learn this kind of thing through experience and mistakes. Ultimately, you don’t want to lose the essence of who you are and why you started doing what you do. – T
We now have so many allies who stand with us, for us. People who come to Vibes and support our movement without wanting to change it or make it their own. – T
Running the event in our spare time around work and family has its challenges. We rarely find time for meetings, but it’s so productive when we do. We have to over-communicate with each other and lean on those around us. We now have a committee that supports us with everything from planning to picking up trash after an event. – G
We were friends before we set up Vibes – and that helps. We are connected in so many ways. We met volunteering at a Boys and Girls Club a decade ago and have always been about community and helping others. It feels as if we’re in alignment with our purpose. We’ve gone to church together, and we pray over each other. It feels like we were supposed to do this together. It feels right. – G
As told to Brogan Driscoll
