Parenclub or a private party: which fits you?

“Isn't that basically a parenclub?” is a question we hear more often than you'd think. It's a fair question: both revolve around open-minded meetings between couples and singles, with consent as the ground rule. But the setup differs fundamentally, and that difference largely determines what kind of evening you can expect. If you don't know that, you can end up choosing the wrong option, and miss exactly the atmosphere you were looking for.

What is a parenclub?

A parenclub usually has a fixed address, fixed opening hours and a fixed house style: the same rooms, the same decor, week after week. Anyone who becomes a member or buys a night knows roughly what to expect, because the club itself doesn't change.

Intimacy with others is one of the possibilities within a parenclub, but never a requirement: plenty of visitors just come to socialise, dance or soak up the atmosphere. Access varies a lot by club, from an open door for a fee to a stricter selection at the entrance.

That fixed character is exactly what a parenclub is good at: you know what you're getting, night after night. It's also exactly where The Pineapple Club deliberately makes a different choice.

What makes a private party at The Pineapple Club different?

Instead of one fixed address, we work with two formats that rotate across six cities: Bar Dates, a low-key evening in a regular bar with no membership required, and The Pineapple Club Night, our private flagship with a stricter admission model. Both formats use a guest list that's freshly curated per edition, rather than an ongoing membership at one physical venue.

Our code of conduct counts sixteen principles and applies everywhere we go, regardless of city or format. Hosts actively watch over the atmosphere during every evening, not just on paper. That makes the experience a little different per city and per edition, while the foundation, consent and careful guest curation, stays the same everywhere.

We were founded in 2025 in Eindhoven and are now active in Amsterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Groningen, Rotterdam and Utrecht, with 700+ members.

The difference at a glance

The short answer:

The table below sets the key differences side by side, in more detail.

Which fits you?

A few questions to help you get clear on what you're looking for: Do you value a familiar, fixed place where you know exactly what to expect? Or does it actually appeal to you to meet a slightly different atmosphere and crowd each time, in different places and on different nights? Do you want to decide for yourself how low-key the first step is, from an evening in a regular bar to something more exclusive?

There's no wrong answer. Anyone who loves a fixed place and familiar faces will probably feel more at home at a parenclub. Anyone who'd rather ease into the atmosphere at their own pace, starting low-key with Bar Dates and only later being ready for something more private, often fits better with how we've set things up. Both are equally legitimate ways to meet open-minded people, the difference is in the setup, not in what's right or wrong.

Further reading