Tuesday night take over: The Ladies Night busting out the board games

Forget the usual Tuesday night plans: Hamilton women are rolling the dice, dealing the cards and finding community around the board game table.

^{Game covered tables, giggles and girls take hold of Tuesday evenings for Escapist’s Ladies night. Photo: Tegen Moore}

In Kirikiriroa, Hamilton’s bustling CBD, you will find a set of stairs that lead to the Escapist, an escape room and board game hide out for locals and tourists alike.

However, every Tuesday night from 6pm to 10pm the space is reserved for one of the most important events of the week – Ladies Night. A night where women get together from across Kirikiriroa Hamilton to learn and play board games.

Ladies Night has been rolling since 2021 and was created by board game enthusiast and Escapist founder, Pam Ariestia, after a discussion with a friend.

“We were talking, and I was like I really like board games I just don’t have enough people to play with, especially not other girls”. Says Pam Ariesta.

The weekly night invites women and girls to make friends and expand their social circles while exploring a range of different genres and styles of board games.

^{Ladies playing Barenpark at Escapist’s Ladies Night – Photo: Tegen Moore}

For some of the ladies the competition is the highlight of the night. Whether they are rolling dice, moving pieces or playing cards, everyone is encouraged to be in it to win it, they are – just in a strategic way. Every individual aims to get the absolute most out of each turn, but they aren’t afraid to help others do the same. Suggesting moves, strategies and tactics to each other, they create a unique kind of social competition that helps everyone improve their board game skills and is part of what makes the night so welcoming.

“I think being competitive comes with a negative connotation [when girls play games]. But it’s not a bad thing to be competitive.”

Pam Ariestia

Even though Ladies Night has been running for five years, not much has changed. Tickets have gotten cheaper, costing $15 and include a drink and dessert. Serving food with the tickets is an important part of the night for Pam, allowing Mums, sisters, and other women running households, an opportunity to be served rather than serving others.

“There are a lot of mums in the group, a lot of them have young kids. It’s nice to have a space that you can just leave the kids at home and have other people serving you.”

Find out more: Looking for a fun way to meet new people and discover new board games? Escapist’s Ladies Night brings people together for friendly competition, socialising and a chance to try a variety of games. Watch this video and visit the Escapist website for more details.