Sparkle Friday grew to give professionals a place to unwind, connect, and celebrate the end of the week.
Our mission is to:
Create a consistent space where people in film, TV, and design can meet outside of work
Make networking feel natural, not forced
Create a community and conversation that reminds us we’re in this together.
At its core, Sparkle Friday is about reminding people that after all the hard work, you also deserve to have balance and feel good.
SPARKLE FRIDAY - THE BEGINNING
Sparkle Friday began as a simple personal ritual since 2012.
What started out of casual Friday happy hours in the office while working in architecture, would always escalate to half the office going out all night long to the great bars in the west village. Christine started to wear sparkle tops with a sweater to complete the official work fashion mullet: Professional to Nightlife in one quick step.
Little did I know a tradition was about to be born.
Christine continued wearing something sparkly to work—sequins, shimmer, a little something extra—to mark the shift from the workweek to the weekend. When she brought this tradition into the film world, is where it’s real power and momentum picked up. The sparkles became a small, bright moment on hectic world days—a conversation starter, a mood-lifter, and a reminder not to take everything so seriously. At the end of the work week with a deadline quickly approaching, the environment would often be a sea of frustration and stress. This caused the sparkle vibe to grow, escalate, spread, ‘Sparkle Friday’ became a known phrase around the studio emitting positivity, inducing laughs, and happier workflow.
The idea was simple: show up, do your work, but don’t forget to have fun. The sparkles became a reminder that you’re allowed to bring joy, personality, and a bit of glamour into even the most intense work environments.
THE SPARKLE TODAY
Though still a weekly mindset and ritual, the quietness of the strikes allowed Sparkle Friday to evolve again. Since 2023, Sparkle Friday has also now become a quarterly happy hour and networking series in New York City for film, TV, and creative professionals.
At a Sparkle Friday event, you can expect:
A relaxed bar setting—no program, no panel, no speeches
A mix of colleagues, collaborators, friends, and new faces
People from different film roles and departments
Old Friends, and an opportunity to make new ones
Space to talk shop, catch up, or simply enjoy the nigh
Sparkle Friday has become a small anchor in the calendar—a night people can count on to reconnect, relax, and remember that there is more that we do that is worth celebrating.
VALUES
Fun – We work hard; we’re allowed to enjoy ourselves.
Connection – Good things happen when people get together in real life.
Positivity – A light, encouraging atmosphere where everyone feels welcome.
Authenticity – Come as you are—the best connections happen naturally
A Touch of Glamour – This is NY after all! A bit of sparkle makes the end of the week feel like a celebration.
These values guide how every event feels: relaxed, friendly, and elevated enough to feel special.
HOSTED & CREATED BY: Christine Lois
Sparkle Friday was created by Christine Lois, a designer and lifestyle coach with a background in architecture and over a decade in film and television set design. She has spent years in fast-paced, high-output environments and knows how important it is to have spaces that are about connection, not just work. We spend so much time at work, it was always important to her to make the workplace fun, have balance, and foster genuine connection—especially for people in demanding creative careers.
The Happy Hours and Sparkle Friday is her way of bringing that reminder to the community:
you can love your work and love your life.
You can be professional and playful.
You can be exhausted from the week and still choose to sparkle
Christine created Sparkle Friday to bring people together off the clock—to raise a glass, share a laugh, and enjoy the kind of conversations that only happen when no one’s rushing to make a deadline.
Follow @therealsparklefriday for event highlights, positive Sparkle energy, and updates on what’s coming next.
