By Sunday afternoon, Tales Lounge in Bukoto had traded its usual bar atmosphere for something more deliberate: a denim-filled garden party, where the dress code was as much part of the experience as the music.
The second edition of the Garden Pop Up brought together Kampala’s social crowd for an afternoon of music, fashion, drinks and photography, with premium whisky brand -The Singleton joining the party.
That was cue for customised cocktails, mainly named around retro themes and music- such as New Jack Swing, My Denim My Style, though at the soul of the whole thing, most of them were classic cocktails made using the world’s leading single malt whisky- The Singleton 12.
“The Singleton is about enjoying whisky through experiences that bring people together, and Garden Pop Up gives us exactly that,” Simon Lapyem, the brand manager said. “It is not just about the drink; it is about the music, the fashion, the conversations and the people you share the moment with. That is the kind of experience we want The Singleton to be part of.”
The brand’s presence fitted naturally into an event built around socialising. Rather than making whisky the sole focus of the afternoon, The Singleton became part of the wider lifestyle experience, one that combined music, personal style and the increasingly popular culture of daytime partying.
The denim theme was difficult to miss. Guests turned up in denim shorts, skirts, jackets and full Canadian tuxedos, with many taking time to pose for pictures and show off their interpretations of the theme.
But while the clothes provided the visual identity, it was the music that supplied the pulse.
DJs- Bugy, City Gal, Gero and Heydez, took turns behind the decks, building the kind of soundtrack that made it easy to settle into a Sunday afternoon and stay longer than planned. Their sets kept the mood upbeat without forcing the occasion into the intensity of a typical Saturday night party.
They jumped through genres, from old school classics like Fantasia’s When I See You and Bow Wow’s Let Me Hold You, to local old school that got people into a flash mob frenzy as they danced to hits like Ngoni’s Digi and Bobi Wine’s Bada; remember those songs came with their own dance moves.
That balance was perhaps the event’s biggest strength. Garden Pop Up did not try to reinvent the Sunday party. Instead, it understood what makes one work: good music, people willing to dress for the occasion and enough room for conversations, photographs and drinks between sets.
