Crowds are trading late nights, velvet ropes for daytime gatherings rooted in music, nostalgia, affordability and community.
A group of friends play Uno during the Skip Day Party at Westside Motor Lounge on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Atlanta. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
One Friday each month, sometimes the third or the last, Sean Falyon can draw over 500 people to Westside Motor Lounge during standard work hours.
Between noon and 8 p.m., the DJ and event organizer has music lovers singing and dancing by the main bar to songs from deejays he handpicked. Even more people are standing outside, conversing with friends, relaxing on lawn furniture, visiting vendor tables and playing games.
There are no grass walls, VIP sections, valet parking or bottle services present. This is Skip Day Party, an event Falyon co-founded in April 2023 he said gives people relief from their 9-to-5 jobs.
Partygoers mingle during the Skip Day Party at Westside Motor Lounge on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Atlanta. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Vicky Saunders (from left), Kanika Mosley, Nina Madden and Perry Cleghorn take a selfie during the Skip Day Party at Atlanta’s Westside Motor Lounge on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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redlO“ tnaw lanoitidart ot er’yeht eht llits ylpmis gnicalper melborp fo ton on wen ylirassecen ynam regnol si evah .sroolf ”.ecneirepxe stneve neve .ecnad ecnad ,erutluc sdworc gnitaerc sbulc bulc tub era na evitanretla esehT ehT
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seunev ot eht taht derutcurts gnorts dias raluger gnimmargorp .secneserp spihsrentrap enilno gnikool tsoh evah stneve syajeed neewteb secneidua tcartta sa era dna dna noylaF
DJ Sean Falyon hosts and organizes Sum’n Good, a monthly dance party at Westside Motor Lounge in Atlanta. (Courtesy of Fulani G. Jabri)
elpoeP“ krow tnaw seunev ,pu ot ot derit meht rieht eht taht taht nekat niatsus .ffuts ,gnimmils emas .dias elpoep revo rehto ro snoitpo dlo fo ylirassecen sledom wonk woh eh gnitteg gnitteg rof t’nod t’nod gniod ”,dworc ypoc yb ssenisub thguob esuaceb era era era ehT
ylkeew naretev selbatnrut eht eht esacwohs stes srecudorp yalp sremrofrep ro tamrof-nepo no no cisum si gnolruoh ,eerf rof rehtie syajeed .selosnoc rab ta ta dna a ,syadseuT ehT s’htimS otareS mooR edlO gninetsiL dleH .raB
ecnis elpoep dehcnual ti ni neewteb stcartta erehwyna ehT mooR gninetsiL .rebmeceD 004-051
I“ JD“ dluow erehw tahw semoclew detnaw detnaw sepyt ot ot ot kniht yeht eht eht eht eht eht taht ”,tnelat tops ees .dias dias moor moor yalp yalp elpoep fo ,cisum cisum puteem ekam srevol tel tsuj ni eh doog tnorferof rof leef esrevid syajeed etaerc dluoc .ytinummoc gnirb kcab dna syawla a a ”X reivaX I evorgraH evorgraH rednuoF JD giB s’atnaltA
Xavier “DJ Big X” Hargrove speaks during New Music Mondays at Stankonia Studios. Hargrove says he wanted to create a meetup for music lovers that welcomes Atlanta’s DJ community. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2025)
gniK“ nI“ htiw ohw bew eht eht esirprus seires dias tnediser ylraluger evitisop cisum sti stsoh eh .stseug rof sdnetta erehpsomta dna oY ”otiV ”,otiV ehT sgnirpS mooR redwoP gninetsiL ,thginK gniK rawnA
ehT“ ll’ohw .pu ot ereht eht eht wohs .dias thgir ytterp ,decirprevo ,thgin reven .cisum hcum netsil kcab-dial wonk s’ti si ni evah ydobyreve yojne sknird ”,dworc ,dworc neeb t’nera dna dna dna a ll’uoY nO thginK ,ppiG regnilliD zaD ioB giB giB
eht elyts naps tfos ,ytrap seitrap no fo ,cisum sneppah serutaef .aropsaid ecnad ecnad ta ta ,onaipama ssorca a a syadseuT syadnuS ydaetS htuoS muR kcoR hcnuP cisuM .llaH naebbiraC ,hcnurB kcalB eveileB abmaB .atnaltA nacirfA
Partygoers dance and enjoy the local scene at Bamba Tuesdays, a premier amapiano dance party hosted by DJ Kash, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC)
s07’ del-namow taht ffonips stisiver ytrap .cisum ,ylhtnom si ,tneve ecnad ecnad sretnec .sdallab ta a ehT wolS B;pma&R irehJ stI garD ,lruC gniwerB kcalB kcalB ykcutnaltA s0891
Attendees dance at The Jheri Curl, a spinoff event of Slow Drag, the monthly dance party that celebrates 1970s soul music, at Atlantucky Brewing on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Natrice Miller/AJC)
eht“ s’tahw ot detekcit hguorht eht eht eht dnoces ytrap ro ,s0991-dim s0891-dim si poh-pih dleh morf rof yreve deredisnoc sisab ta a edistseW yadrutaS rotoM .egnuoL nedloG ”,arE cissalC mooB ,paB kcaB
JD“ stnalpsnart stsiruot ot tfos dias seitrap snoitpo ciglatson lacol rof esopxe .tnemniatretne ,rezinagro-oc dna nylraM ,yrewoL ewoL ”iK kcalB
elpoeP“ tisiv ot ev’yeht yeht eht taht taht os ,swohs nees yas .dias ytilaer secalp elpoep tuo no no reffo gnihton ssim ylniam detseretni ni neddih sah ”,smeg .hguone gniggid peed t’nera era ynaM yrewoL atnaltA
JD“ htiw dias .sraluger erar gniyalp rehto sremocwen si woh eh sevoorg stcennoc ,rotaruc-oc dna yendoR kcoR ,llewoP ”tsoM mooB s’paB
yehT“ dlo‘ ew suoirav ,su elbanu ot ot ot ev’yeht yeht yeht ”,meht eht eht eht .taht taht knaht dnet ecafrus ’loohcs .dias strap saesrevo rehto fo fo thgim evol eh dah stseug teg morf togrof rof dnif setirovaf ,stneve tneve gid hsad yrtnuoc sretac tub htaeneb neeb esuaceb ta dna dna dna na ,tuoba a ev’eW eiggiB caP2
htiw opmet-pu eht eht eht elyts lufluos recudorp deziralupop ,ytrap no fo fo fo deman cisum htnom seidolem etal tsal si ni poh-pih ,tucriah cirtemoeg eerf rof snaf hcae yb staeb ta dna noonretfa retfa a a yddeT ,gniwS yadnuS ydaetS kcoR ,yeliR weN kcaJ poT-iH edaF .atnaltA s0891
ohw taht semitemos dias .yksir secudorp ytrap rezinagro fo evol robal si si gnitsoh poh-pih stneve ecnad dellac launna dna na osla a yllaW elknawT ,skrapS nrehtuoS poT-iH ,netsilG edaF JD
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m’I“ ohw erew yaw tnaw ot ot ot sgniht ”.meht eht eht evres rebmemer elpoep ti ti ni evah evig ,nuf dna yllautca
A reflection shows the crowds enjoying the Skip Day Party at Westside Motor Lounge on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Atlanta. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
tfos dias .enituor seitrap teltuo evitan sih eh morf yliad sdnetta sa na dleifinniM selrahC kcalB atnaltA
er’yehT“ er’uoy tuohtiw ,srekamelbuort ot eht eht eht taht emos :snaginanehs sterces emas .dias edivorp gnicirp suoegartuo stsinutroppo fo fo efilthgin gnol ,senil tpek eh ”,tnemnorivne yojne tseb stifeneb erofeb dna elba
m’I“ uoy erehw ll’yeht eht os ,seludehcs srogir tup ecalp ecalp ”.elpoep fo gnikool ,efil wonk ni taerg taerg rof wollof epacse yad-ot-yad niatrec nac esuaceb dnuora dna syawla a a I I I ’sJD
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.
