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Europe|They’re Over 80. You Can Find Them in the Club.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/world/europe/papy-booom-brussels-seniors-nightclub-loneliness.html
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A group of Brussels retirement-home residents grooved to electronic music late one night as part of a program to fight loneliness among seniors.
June 19, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET
It was well past midnight on a recent weekend, and the Mirano nightclub in central Brussels pulsed with its usual energy. A D.J. played bass-heavy music with a West African lilt, people downed shots at the bar and red lights beamed across a crowded dance floor.
Among the revelers in crop tops, short skirts and high heels, one group stood out: gray-haired retirement-home residents, many in their 80s or 90s. The men wore suits with pocket handkerchiefs, and the women, in mascara and red lipstick, wore chunky necklaces and tops with sequins.
“Look at the atmosphere,” said Guillaume Vanderweyen, 99, who was clubbing for the first time in 40 years. “Everyone is happy because we’re doing something different. That matters in life.”
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Mr. Vanderweyen would be out dancing until after 2 a.m. He admitted he was not as limber as he used to be, but thanks to daily exercises, he appeared to have no trouble bending and twisting to songs by Rihanna and the Nigerian singer Kizz Daniel.
Mr. Vanderweyen, a retired carpenter, and 15 other residents of Brussels retirement homes were at the nightclub on an outing organized by Papy Booom, a Belgian nonprofit that aims to address loneliness among older people and create more opportunities for fun.
