Shanghai's Mobile Party
By Erin Fabricius
Since April 2010 the Drunken Dragon has been giving tours of Shanghai in an unconventional way. The pub crawl takes a nocturnal trek to the city’s bars and clubs as friends and partygoers alike meet new people and have a blast while visiting the most exciting drinking holes in Shanghai. Don’t know where to go out? Let this team of nightlife savvy professionals take care of the decision for you. They’ll even handle transportation and a few shots while the party bus rolls from bar to bar.
When your cab pulls up to O’Malley’s on a Thursday night, you are greeted by a woman hawking cigarettes beside the entry of their spacious terrace. Things look calm, controlled, collected – not what you may expect from an outfit that call themselves the Drunken Dragon. Covering the gap between the gate and the front door, you spot a few groups having a quiet drink, but the moment you cross the threshold into the bar, you’re in for a surprise. The energy in the room is palpable as newcomers drift over to the registration and hand RMB 150 to two smiling pub crawl leaders in exchange for wristbands and the promise of a great evening.
Tourists, study abroad students and entrenched expats whose time in China ranges from days to decades fill the bar as the band provides an energising soundtrack for the evening. Chatting to the crawl leaders and business owners, you begin to scratch the surface and realise the dedication, hard work and pride that goes into each event.
What started as the brainchild of MBA classmates Johanna Hoopes and Brandon Woods in a lecture hall has turned into one of the most exciting parties to hit Shanghai. “We knew we wanted to create a culture of fun within our company and meet tons of people, but we couldn’t have imagined all the amazing friends we would make and countless nights we would black out. Seriously though, it’s been a great ride thus far,” says Woods.
After wooing fellow classmate Liz Grabenstein away from her post in Paris with tales of a city that is reminiscent of “New York on steroids”, the trio found an accountant, filed the paperwork and started the process of getting a business license. “I booked a one way ticket to China never having been to Asia before in my life, reassured with the knowledge that it was a solid idea with excellent potential,” says Grabenstein.
One of the many strengths of the team is their positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond to help each other succeed. They show up, week after week, to support one another and check in on their business, mostly because they can’t stay away from the good vibes and equally good people. Monica Kitts first joined the team as a promoter and has since risen to head crawl leader and director of procurement. She keeps coming back because “you get to work with a variety of cool people who all have different interests and strengths and are excited to build a business together and see where it goes.”
With over 80 consecutive weeks of pub crawls and one-off parties under their belts, these young entrepreneurs have built a brand synonymous with the effervescent Shanghai nightlife it is immersed in. “We love our bars, new and old,” says head crawl leader Megan Jumago. “They give us a home away from home – like my own personal Cheers.”
The team keeps things interesting by crawling to different venues each week, incorporating new venues as they open into their roster of bars and clubs that is already 40+ strong. Most recently, you can find the party bus parked outside new hot spots like Inferno, Sugar and Rico Rico.
Since Thursday night benders aren’t for everyone, the team is now running pub crawls on Saturday nights, which kick off at Brix, so the weekend warriors can get a taste of the famous party bus that cruises around the city. The crew also runs private crawls for birthdays and bachelor parties that can be customised for anyone from dive bar rats to cocktail connoisseurs.
That being said, the crawl isn’t just a place drink until you can’t see straight; it’s a dynamic experience that caters to each crawler in a unique way. “The crawl is whatever you want it to be, honestly. You could have an insane night complete with dance off and make out session or just enjoy a couple of beers and meet some friendly people,” says Hoopes. “It is Shanghai nightlife bespoke.”
