A Night out with Drinks and Dirt

Terrariums created while sipping cocktails during a recent Plant Nite. Courtesy of Plant Nite.

Remember how fun it was to play in the sand box? Well, now you can relive those days but with adult beverages added to the mix. The latest iteration of the trend of combining an activity with drinks, such as painting and yoga, is Plant Nite, where participants imbibe at a bar or restaurant and dig into dirt to create terrariums with hard-to-kill plants.

Plant Nite hosted its first NH event on Feb. 9 at Boston Billiard Club in Nashua, attracting 52 fun-seekers who included those on dates, friends, families and co-workers. “People are now looking to collect experiences,” says Sean McGrail, co-founder of Paint and Plant Nite. “Walking home with a micro-landscape that is on display in their home or office for years to come is a living memento of a great night out with friends.”

In the months since its launch, Plant Nite is hosting approximately eight to 10 events in NH. Its 11 May events in NH include Boston Billiard Club, Chunky’s in Nashua and Pelham, City Sports Grille in Manchester, Juliano’s in Derry, Salona Bar & Grill in Manchester, and Waxy O’Connors in Keene. Diane Meehan, co-owner of the NH branch of Plant Nite, says that she’d like to expand to more venues in different parts of the state.

Plant is the offshoot of Paint Nite and came from the company’s desire to “expand upon the idea of the night out and reach out to people who haven’t been swayed by Paint Nite,” says Meehan. “It often takes something special to get people out these days.”

Founded in 2012 by Dan Herman and Sean McGrail in the Boston area, Paint Nite hosts painting workshops at bars and restaurants. The bars and restaurants offer their space at no charge for a guaranteed flow of customers.

At Plant Nite events, gardening instructors help customers create a miniature plant array in a terrarium complete with succulents (plants that like arid environments and retain water, such as cactus, jade plants and aloe plants).

Tickets for Plant Nite events cost about $50 while the Paint Nite ticket costs around $45. “We need about 20 to 25 people at a Plant Nite event to break even, and not every venue can hold that many additional people,” says Meehan. “We’re looking to host bigger events and diversify.”

For more information, visit plantnite.com.