The Fire Pit brings the heat

5th December

I’m not one to miss a party, so when Gymbox invited me to the all things play-themed ‘Fire Pit’, I couldn’t say no. With December just around the corner, this was the ideal opportunity to set aside all my worries about Christmas shopping, dress in something glittery and immersive myself into the ultimate adult playground Gymbox had created.

To be honest, I spend a lot more time planning my Gymbox party outfits than I do for any other occasion. After all, Gymbox have never failed to pull out all the stops, and I knew that the ‘Fire Pit’ would be no exception. The 26 Leake Street venue was setting the bar high, and there would undoubtedly be hundreds of show-stopping outfits worn on the night.

With that in mind, I glammed up and prepped my mates for one hell of a night. Glitter? Check. Sass? Double check. We were ready to go.

As we arrived at the venue, I was immediately impressed. 26 Leake Street is emblematic of London street culture, situated in the arches underneath Waterloo, graffiti art covering every brick in sight and fire performers keeping those in the queue entertained and giving us a taste of what was to come..

Having shamelessly taken advantage of every photo opportunity available, my friends and I headed inside to be welcomed by a huge, floodlit pink entrance hall. The building itself was decked out in hanging streamers and decorations, with free snow cones on arrival, festival stalls from designers like Alice Vandy, drink trucks serving 4 different kinds of White Russians and an actual real life caravan getting you covered in biodegradable glitter with help from the gals at Pop Tart boutique (who all came dressed as Frida Kahlo, something my tipsy brain was sure I hallucinated) next to the main dance hall. Needless to say, we were pretty awestruck.

Having had a fair few drinks before entering the building, now was the time to become friends with everyone in my line of (slightly wavy) vision. Once again, I was reminded of how great the Gymbox community is, as well as its sheer size. Getting the chance to speak to other members in a relaxed setting was much appreciated. Let’s face it, there’s never much chance to chat in a gym class, and it was great to see everyone in something other than sweaty gym gear.

With new friends made and emergency flat shoes stowed away, it was time to hit the dance floor. Though the dance room was dimly lit, it’s arched ceiling (and the many sequins and glitter on every guest) reflected the lights illuminating the main stage, basking the room in serpentine green and sapphire blue. My highlight of the night was watching a dancer covered in laser pointers (who goes by 'Laser Tits' I kid you not) weave her way across the cuboid DJ booth.

With all this going on , Gymbox had also provided a chill out area at the back of the dance floor, complete with free rejuvenation drinks and inflatables. And because a Gymbox party wouldn’t be complete without some test of fitness, there were also rideable, fairy light-strewn stationary bikes. Whilst I’m glad I never decided to give these a go, I do deeply regret not taking advantage of the - wait for it - buffer massage table, which was also hidden away behind the dance floor. Bring this back to the next party, please?!

After scoping out the venue and grabbing some more drinks, we headed back to the dance floor…and it’s at this point that the night gets a little blurry. What I do know is that I danced ‘til the early hours before miraculously making it home, glitter still intact.

Fast forward to Saturday morning and it was time to try the free ‘hangover cure’ (aka SORTED) that had been handed to me the night before and devour the RX Bar found in my bumbag. But whilst my head was feeling dubious, the night had definitely been worth it.

Fire Pit had far exceeded my expectations. Not only was the venue fantastic, but so was everybody there. Seeing my favourite instructors and workout buddies ditching their gym gear for handmade feather headdresses, wings and glittery bodysuits was confusing, but I was impressed. Everyone had clearly gone to so much effort. Though I guess this is unsurprising, given that the Gymbox community not only works hard – we play hard, too.