The Fifth Place

An invitation-only, absurdist social gathering, The Fifth Place is held in various venues around NYC. This playful, unpredictable event is designed to spark joy and fun as strangers interact with one another according to a new and unique set of rules.

Where: Held in a Variety of Public Spaces in and around New York City

Ticket Price: Free, Invite-Only

“The Fifth Place” offers an invitation-only social experiment set within New York’s diverse venues, where every visit promises new rules dictated by the Directors of Behavior, reshaping how guests interact in pursuit of antic joy and elevated forms of irrationality. Each gathering, while free to attend upon application, serves as a playground for inventive communication, with rules crafted not only by the Director but also by guest artists, writers, and even attendees themselves, in public spaces often unaware of the event’s presence.

This unique experience unfolds as a surreal social tapestry, blending absurdist elements with Dada influences to create nonsensical, engaging interactions among strangers. Participants receive roles and rules via email, converging in public spaces to engage in a two-hour, improvised dialogue based on these arbitrary guidelines, before dispersing as abruptly as they gathered. It’s a modern-day Oulipo-ian social gathering, where the outcome is as unpredictable as it is absurd, offering a fresh and exhilarating approach to human interaction and the concept of immersive art.

Things to Note about It:

  • Absurdest
  • Invite-Only
  • Secretive