Past Events – Mixing Out Blog

2014 Roundup – What a Year it’s Been!

Mixing Out — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:28:47 +0000

So Christmas draws near and 2014 is nearly at a close. And what a year 2014 has been!

Since launching in Leeds back in January, we’ve had even more members sign up with MixingOut, putting on more events than ever. It’s been a busy 2014 and we wanted to give you a roundup of our favourite bits. Hope you enjoy!

January – Beer & Ping Pong

We started the year in Leeds, taking in some of the local bars and hotspots. We had lots of fun checking the city out and found plenty of fun and interesting places for our Leeds members to go on a night out.

But our favourite place had to be The Roxy Ball Room, which may or may not have gotten its name from the ping pong tables in the venue’s back room. Nothing beats beer and ping pong for a fun time – whatever time of day!

February – Festival Time

Most festivals don’t start until the summer but February was highlighted in our calendars for one of the country’s biggest beer festivals.

The CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival took place at the Roundhouse in Derby and we can’t wait for 2015 for another round!

March – Our First Ladies Night

Back in March we hosted our first ever Ladies Night – an all-ladies event just for our female members in Leeds.

So it was all about lip-gloss, new shoes and letting our hair down (or wearing it up if that’s your thing) and really letting loose. It was a massive success and one of our best events of the year.

April – Suns Out, Guns Out

With summer just around the corner, we decided that combining exercise with socialising would be a great way to have some fun with friends whilst seeing positive results. So we really pushed you guys to find as many ways to get in-shape together as possible. Hope it paid off!

June – Ladies That Lunch

In June we saw a surge in women-only events; namely lunchtime get-togethers for a few cocktails and giggles. Thusly, Ladies That Lunch was born and a string of regular events followed throughout the rest of the year in Derby and Leeds.

July – 10 Hour Party People

Admittedly, we didn’t last the full 10 hours at The Made in Leeds Festival but we did have a great time.

It was the first music event of its kind in the city, so we just had to check it out. After all, we love music, we love the city and we absolutely can’t get enough of meeting the people there.

September – Your Social Life Horoscope For This Month

Born under a wandering star, instinct leads you to explore new territories and form tight friendships by joining a gang. Approach this avenue with caution, though, these people take loyalty very seriously.

November – Bowled Over With Laughter

November was a busy month for our Derby members. Highlights included a classic night out bowling and a trip to The Bless comedy Night.

Comedy nights have become something of a runaway success here at MixingOut – with groups of regulars meeting often for a few drinks and a good laugh. After all, that’s what we’re all about.

Another Busy Month of Meeting People Done – What We Got Up To

Mixing Out — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 21:01:46 +0000

It’s been another busy month for MixingOut and now that October is finally over, we thought it would be really cool to take a look back at a couple of our favourite events. This time we’re in Derby, where bowling and comedy was on the agenda – not at the same time, of course, although some of our bowling skills were laughable!

Living life in the fast lane

Above: Having a ball at Tenpin Bowling Derby

Remember the last time you went bowling? You probably had a blast, right? Everybody loves bowling! And that’s just what our Derby members decided when they were coming up with ideas for a fun night out that everybody would enjoy.

We rolled up at Tenpin Bowling (you can check their venue out here) for a few games and a couple of drinks. Be advised though; drink responsibly, kids, because alcohol can seriously impede your ability to bowl!

After one too many gutter-balls, we decided to take things a bit more seriously and have a friendly competition – guys against the girls, as standard. Needless to say it was of a disgrace to the sport. But everybody had a laugh and a really great time all the same. Definitely something we want to do again and would certainly suggest to all our MixingOut members who fancy a great night out without having to hit the bars and clubs. Fun, relaxed, and a great activity for mingling with new and old friends.

Comedy Night, The Bless

Above: No, no that kind of Bless!

Monday nights are Standup Comedy Night at the Blessington Carriage and even though it’s become a regular event for some our MixingOut members, we wanted to mention it here because of its growing popularity amongst newer members also. And needless to say, our last event at The Bless this month was another big success.

The Hottest Way of Meeting People – What We Got Up To

Mixing Out — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:02:11 +0000

Things have certainly been heating up recently at MixingOut. In fact you could say we’ve had our “hottest” events to date; meeting up with some of our fantastic members across Derby and Leeds who fancied adding a little spice to their social lives. (Okay, enough of the puns).

Curry Night in Leeds

Above: The MixingOut gang enjoying their meal at Akbar’s curry house in Leeds

First up we were out in Leeds for an epic night of drinking and some delicious food. Everybody loves a curry, and our MixingOut members are no exception. The guys met up at Akbar’s, a fantastic little curry house in Leeds Eastgate.

As you’d expect, everybody had a great time. Sure, you can order a takeaway at home and sit in front of the television but nothing accompanies a hot curry better than a group of friendly people. The atmosphere was relaxed, cosy and welcoming – which made it so much easier for our newbies to settle in and get involved.

Salsa Session in Leeds

Above: Getting to grips with each other at Distrikt

This time in Leeds dancing was on the agenda. Not the strobe-lit, house-pumping acid kind. No, we’re talking about salsa dancing. Or rather, salsa lessons; none us were what you call “experts”. But everybody had so much fun that another outing is definitely on the cards.

And in the end, isn’t that the whole point of joining MixingOut? We want our members to get out and meet new people, try lots of new and exciting experiences and enjoy themselves as they go. Salsa dancing is certainly something nobody had done before, but it proved to a huge success and lots of fun.

EVENT ALERT: Mid-Week Thai

Fancy trying a bit of Thai? On Thursday 16th October one of our MixingOut members will be organising a get together at the Chaopraya restaurant in Leeds for some delicious food and friendly banter. Book on here.

Ladies Loving MixingOut – A Fun Way of Meeting People

Mixing Out — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:52:12 +0000

We’ve mentioned before about why women only events are such a big hit here at MixingOut. Sometimes it’s tricky for busy ladies to find the time to go out and have fun, meeting people with shared interests.

Sometimes ladies just want to get together with other ladies in a relaxed, friendly setting where they can have a chat over a few cocktails and a bit of lunch. So it’s no surprise that we’ve had such an amazing response over the past few months to these kinds of events. In fact we’ve seen so much success with our women only events that we wanted to share them with you.

Ladies That Lunch, Derby – What We Got Up To

A couple of weeks ago, MixingOut member Julie organised an event inviting female members in the Derby area to meet up for a little lunch, a few drinks and a side helping of hot gossip. Needless to say, the event was a big success and everybody turned up and had a great time.

Above: MixingOut ladies enjoying a relaxed get together over a few drinks at Zest restaurant.

For those of you who haven’t already visited, Zest in Derby is a great little restaurant, with a superb atmosphere. We’d definitely recommend it as a place to visit to MixingOut members who are looking to get together in Derby.

Shortly after arriving in time for the lunchtime menu, everybody ordered a few drinks and settled into things, browsing over what to have to eat. By the time the food arrived, the conversation was flowing (rather like the wine) and all our ladies were having a ball. In fact everybody was having so much fun that the restaurant let them stay two hours after closing!

EVENT ALERT: Ladies that Lunch (again!)

On Saturday 20th September MixingOut member Julie will be hosting another women’s only event. This time at Fats Cats Restaurant on Friar Gate, for any of you ladies who fancies some friendly conversation over some delicious food and a few cheeky drinks.

Book on here.

Meeting People for a 10 Hour Party in Leeds – What We Got Up To

Mixing Out — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 15:19:02 +0000

Let’s get one thing straight: A dodgy carousel in a car park shouldn’t be as much fun as it ended up being. Maybe it was the drink, or maybe it was the fun times we had meeting people – just take a look at the pictures and you can decide for yourself on that one. Thankfully, there was plenty more to enjoy at this year’s biggest party in Leeds; Made in Leeds Festival.

It was the first music event of its kind in the city centre, and ever since we heard something of this magnitude was taking place in Leeds we just had to get involved. After all, we love music, we love the city and we absolutely can’t get enough of meeting the people there.

Back to Basics, Insomnia, SpeedQueen and Fibre were headlining this year. And if you recognise any of those names then you won’t need telling how great it was. If you don’t have any clue who they are (like quite a few of our members who came) then it doesn’t matter – all you need to know is that it was lively, the atmosphere was buzzing and everybody had a fantastic time. (If you’re interested, you can get a feel for the vibe listening to a mix of the set list here).

With more that 5,000 people in attendance, all coming together for a monumental party, there was no shortage of excitement. Admittedly, we didn’t last the full ten hours (although we’d like to meet anybody who did) but we definitely got around a bit.

Above, The crowd getting into the party vibe as SpeedQueen takes to the decks.

Above, A few of the MixingOut crew having a good time.

Above, Things are starting to heat up!

Above, That Carousel. Brilliant.

If you fancy getting together for a similar event, then be sure to check out our events board. Alternatively, you can create your own event and let everybody know what you’d like to do.

Making New Friends at Ladies Night: What We’ve Been Up To Recently

Mixing Out — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 11:01:48 +0000

Lip gloss, new shoes and hair spray was high on the MixingOut agenda recently – all in the name of making new friends – with our first ever Ladies’ Night, and our biggest event yet!

That’s right, a couple of weekends ago in Leeds it was Ladies’ Night. An entire evening devoted to female frivolities and partying like it was 1968, the year all those women burnt their bras and ran wild in the streets (as if you didn’t already know).

Okay, so maybe it didn’t get THAT crazy. But one thing is for certain, the girls definitely showed they can party just as hard as the guys.

Above: The girls having a blast out and about in Leeds.

After some careful preening and singing into our hairbrushes to Cindy Lauper, everyone met up at the All One Bar for a few drinks before a girlie night on the tiles. As well as a few familiar faces, their was also quite a few newcomers who’d only just signed up, so you can image how exciting it was for everybody.

Things kicked off with the usual get-to-know-one-another chat and a few more drinks, besides. A few of the newbies were a little anxious to begin with, but quickly settled into the swing of things and were soon revved up for a good time. That’s one of the best things about MixingOut, everybody is so warm and friendly, and we all know how to enjoy ourselves – which is very important when it comes to making new people feel welcome.

Above: Girl’s just wanna fun!

We carried on to a few more clubs, pairing off to fix our makeup in the toilets, dancing around our handbags and like, when we met up with a few of the fellas on their own MixingOut event at around 1am.

Above: Having a bit of a dance with the MixingOut guys

Yep, it was definitely one of our best events yet. Everybody had a great time, and as you can see from the pictures, quite a few friends were made xx

Future Event: Ladies That Like to Lunch

On Saturday 22^nd March, MixingOut organiser Andie will be hosting a get together at Qubanas in Wakefield, for light lunch, girl talk and cocktails. So if you fancy popping along, sign up here.

Laugh Riot: Busy Making New Friends in Leeds & Derby

Mixing Out — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:09:20 +0000

Making new friends with MixingOut is always tons of fun, but our most recent get together in Leeds was a real laugh-riot. It was a comedy night at the Verve Bar and a chance to see some proper standup.

Above: Some of the guys at the Verve Bar, Leeds.

After meeting up with organiser Francy, we got our drinks ordered and settled in for a night of fun and frolics. Most of the group had never been to a comedy club before, so there were quite a few worried faces (we’ll be okay, just so long as we don’t sit at the front!). But everybody quickly loosened up once the show got started. It was great, everybody had a really fun time, and the crowd was awesome too; friendly, lively, and totally up for a laugh – which made the whole night even better.

In fact, the night went so well that some of the group decided to make ‘comedy nights’ a weekly occurrence. So if that sounds like something you’ve always wanted to experience, then check our events page and sign yourself up!

Our next event that week was for a night out on the town, and this time we were in Derby. After meeting up with a group of entirely new faces, we made our way to Revolution de Cuba, a really energetic bar situated in one of liveliest parts of the city centre – perfect for a Saturday night. The crowds were in full force; vibrant, sociable, and up for a really good time.

Above: Everybody enjoying themselves at Revolution de Cuba, Derby.

It was MixingOut’s first event in Derby and we’re pleased to say it went down a storm. Everybody who attended had an amazing time; drinks, music, dancing and friendly company – just what everybody needs after a gruelling week at work!

A Merry Way of Meeting New Friends: What We Got Up To Last Week

Mixing Out — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 15:16:46 +0000

It was another merry MixingOut get together last week and a great opportunity for meeting new friends. This time at the Christmas market on Millennium Square in the centre of Leeds. So you can imagine just how merry it was; music, cheer, and plenty of Cherry Honey Mead (more about that later).

December is usually a quiet time for MixingOut, what with all the work parties, last minute shopping, and typical family commitments, but the strength of our success over the past few months proved all too much for people to resist and folk just couldn’t wait to get together for a good old Christmas knees up. Yup, it may have been a little quieter (and a helluva lot colder) but we still had a great time!

With its traditional wooden stalls, carousels, and festive greenery festooned in twinkling colourful lights, the Christmas market in the middle of Leeds’ bustling Millennium Square provided the perfect backdrop for our merry meet up. And what better time than Christmas for meeting new friends?

Along with a lively bunch of regulars, we also had a new member come along, who joined MixingOut only hours before, all of whom were greeted by organiser Francy when they arrived. Actually, Francy was a little late because her train was delayed, but everybody found each other just fine and kept themselves entertained until she arrived.

In between browsing the market stalls and music tents, not to mention sampling copious amounts of what basically tasted like whiskey, cherry and honey, everybody got a quick bite to eat and then carried on the festivities in central Leeds.

Hopped up on mead, we decided to stop at a lively pub called ‘Around the World in 80 Beers’, where we could all have a bit of chat, catch up, get to know the new guy, and listen to some live bands. It was brilliant, and everybody had a great time. After about an hour or so, we made our way to a great little bar called ‘The Living Room’ and stayed there until about two in the morning… with the newcomer wobbling slightly with a 6am start!