The Art Of Moving Through A Packed Bar Or Club
A crowded bar is usually a good sign; it means you’ve found the place with a lively atmosphere. After years of squeezing through packed dance floors and shoulder-to-shoulder bars around the world, I’ve learned there are ways to get from one end to the other without spilling your drink or annoying everyone around you.
When you go out to bars a lot – as I do – then you learn certain things about how to get around a bar.
Some people are irritated by crowded bars, dance floors so packed you can’t walk around or seemingly through them and lots of people in a confined space.
My comment to that is – would you rather be in an empty bar? Heck no! So deal with it and here’s how to maneuver around a packed bar or club. Here’s my five tips:
1.) Start With The Right Attitude
This is the most important element in any situation involving crowds. You can’t have a piss-poor attitude about it. You’re in that situation, there’s nothing you can do about it, so go into it with a positive mental approach. Here’s an idea: look at is a fun challenge.
2.) Look For The Best Route Before You Move
This is not unlike a difficult project given to you at work. Analyze the problem and come up with a solution. In this case, just don’t go head-long into the crowd; take a moment to size up any potential openings before you take your first step. I always size up the people in my way, too. If they are carelessly moving around not aware of anyone else around them, I try and avoid them (I’m always on the lookout for people who are most likely to crash into me and knock my drink out of my hand). If you’re trying to work your way through a dance floor, avoid the most wildly-moving people.
3.) Learn The Art Of The Shimmy
Don’t run straight into others, turn sideways if you must and try and “shimmy” your way around them. Often, you can’t take normal steps forward and need to do this shimmy to get by people
4.) Smile, Say Excuse Me And Keep Moving
I always head into these things with a smile on my face. I’ll also always laugh and if I accidentally and unavoidably bump into someone, I’ll say “oh, sorry!” It’s not unusual, of course, to encounter someone you can’t get around because they won’t move. In that case, I’ll tap or touch them on the shoulder and, as I start to move around them, say “pardon me dude,” or “excuse me mate,” and keep walking; don’t pause!
5.) Stay Flexible And Adjust Your Route
Getting through a crowd is a fluid situation. You have to be able to adjust your route on the fly. An opening you spied has suddenly closed or that guy or girl who is moving wildly that doesn’t pay attention to anyone else is hard to predict where they will be when you’re approaching them, someone suddenly coming out of nowhere to move into that one tiny previously-open space, and so forth.
And single people keep this in mind: these crowded situations can provide opportunities to meet someone. Being in a packed bar usually means you’re in the right place.
Cheers!
Related Post:
• More Stories From The Barstool By The Nightlife Blogger
The Nightlife Blogger is the bar columnist for PubClub.com, is an award-winning journalist and expert who has covered destinations, events and bars for more than two decades.
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