STILL PLAYING: RETRO RECESS TURNS THREE!

🎈 STILL PLAYING: Retro Recess Turns Three!

Three years ago, Retro Recess started with a simple idea: adulthood is better when we remember how to recess.

And now, three years later: we’ve played, created, explored, laughed, tried new things, made friends, gotten a little weird, and built a community around making more room for play… and somehow… we’re still playing.

So we’re throwing ourselves a birthday party and you’re invited. 🥹

On October 17TH, we’re taking over Freebird Cafe for an afternoon of dressing up, showing off the things we love, making things with our hands, wandering through a little community market, eating, drinking, hanging out, and celebrating three years of Retro Recess.

Think of it less like an event you have to “do” and more like a playground you can wander into.

Come for one part. stay for all of it. bring a friend. come by yourself. make something. show us something. find something at the thrift shop. sit down and hang out. meet somebody new.

Here’s what we’ll be getting into:

👗 DRESS UP X PLAY

we’re starting with one of our favorite things: playing dress-up.

go digging through the thrift racks at Freebird, try on something you’d normally walk right past, put together a look that feels a little different, and have some fun with it.

we’ll have a little styling + wardrobe inspiration along the way, and of course there will be a chance to take some photos once you’ve found your look.

and if you find something you love? you’ll be able to take advantage of a special birthday discount from the thrift shop that day.

come dressed as yourself.
come dressed as someone else.
come dressed as a version of you that doesn’t get enough airtime.

there are no rules. it’s recess

🎤 SHOW X TELL

and then we’re bringing back one of the best parts of being a kid: showing everybody your thing.

remember when bringing your favorite thing to school was a very big deal?

Show x Tell is a chance to share something you really love, something you’re trying or learning, something you’re creating, or even something you’re becoming.

maybe it’s a favorite object. a new skill. a collection. a poem. a business. a weird little obsession. something you’ve made. something you’re still figuring out. something you’ve been working on quietly and finally feel ready to let people see.

and here's the important part: you don't have to be good at it yet.

you don’t need a polished presentation.
you don’t need to have it all figured out.
you don’t need to call yourself an expert.

you just have to be doing something and care enough about it to share.

you’ll have 5 minutes to show us your thing and tell us why it matters to you.

bring the weird thing.
bring the beautiful thing.
bring the unfinished thing.
bring the thing you can’t stop talking about.

want to be part of Show x Tell? sign up here: https://forms.gle/Cp279nzVKyJ1F9au9

✂️ HANG X CRAFT

after all that showing and telling, we’re going to slow things down a little.

bring your current craft.
bring the half-finished project sitting on your floor.
bring the thing you’ve been meaning to start.
bring your latest creative obsession.

or bring absolutely nothing.

we’ll have some supplies to play with, popcorn to snack on, and a we’ll vote on a movie that’ll be playing in the background while we make things, work on things, or just sit around and hang out.

you can make something.
you can talk.
you can watch the movie.
you can do all three.

there’s no finished product required.

🛍️ COMMUNITY MARKET

and throughout the day, we’ll have community vendors hanging out too.

so wander around. browse. find something you didn’t know you needed. meet the people behind the things you’re buying. support local makers, artists, creatives, and small businesses in our community.


Want to be a Vendor at the Community Market: https://forms.gle/vEjKWiaPFbqWUWhP7

come for the play. stay for the treasures.

🎂 THREE YEARS OF PLAY + A LITTLE HELP KEEPING IT GOING

and underneath all of it, we’re celebrating three years of Retro Recess.

three years of adults remembering that they’re allowed to play.

three years of people showing up alone and leaving with new friends.

three years of creativity, movement, curiosity, silliness, vulnerability, connection, and a whole lot of “wait… i haven’t done this since i was a kid.”

81+ events.


1,000+ people.


so many little moments that never would have happened if we hadn’t made the space for them.

come to the party. bring a friend. buy something from a community vendor. grab a drink. shop the thrift racks. share the event. tell somebody about Retro Recess.

we’re raising money to help cover the materials, equipment, supplies, storage, transportation, branding, legal/business costs, and other infrastructure that will help Retro Recess become more sustainable and allow us to keep creating spaces for play and connection.

come celebrate with us, help us keep playing.

adulthood is better when we remember how to recess. 🎈