Reading Party
An hour of silent reading, then a chill apero. No book club discussion, no assigned title.
Il Circolo Social Club
/
Starting August — dès août
a social club for reading, thinking, talking, and drinking, in person.
philo café · reading party · sunset salon · backgammon & cards · movie club
What it is
Something between the neighborhood bar where everyone knows each other and somehow ends up playing cards till midnight, and the literary salon, where everything — from the fate of love to that of society — is discussed with unreasonable confidence.
Bring a friend, or find one here.
The formats
Philo Café
Real discussion, often with pétanque or apero running alongside it, to ease the existential dread.
Sunset Salon
A looser outdoor evening — reading, backgammon, cards, sometimes music or an artist, always conversation and drinks.
Backgammon & Cards
Old-school games, played properly, with a drink in hand.
Movie Club
Could be a classic, could be a 2010s cult favorite, could be something that just came out.
Get involved
For creatives
Play, show, or shoot with us
Artists, musicians, and photographers who want to be part of a night rather than hired for one.
- an artist showing or making work during an evening
- a musician playing something low-key, unplugged
- a photographer documenting a night as it happens
Regulars
Help us host, and drink for free while you do it
Arrive early, help set the room, make it easy for people who came alone. In exchange: free drinks on nights you host, first word on new events, and a say in what we try next.
- free drinks on the nights you help run
- first word on new events
- a vote on what we try next — new formats, new artists, new cities
Supporters & makers
Pour, feed, or back a night
Small brewers, winemakers, roasters, bakers, cheesemongers — and anyone who wants to help fund a night.
- an artisan brewery or winery pouring at an evening
- a food maker feeding a room of thirty
- a patron chipping in for a specific night or chapter
join the list — rejoignez la liste
Marseille and Antibes start this August. Paris follows in September, with Turin and Bolzano to come. Tell us where you are, what you'd come to, and how you'd like to be part of it.
no spam. one email when there's something to say.
psst —
help me buy backgammon boards.
Il Circolo runs on a shoestring, some good will, and whatever's in the founder's apartment — currently mostly a mattress, three candles, and good intentions. Chip in for boards, cards, real glasses, and something resembling food. Every bit helps.
support Il Circolo100% goes to actual objects we need. no overhead, because there is none.