Mindbender Parties runs lifestyle nights in Providence, Rhode Island, and has been at it long enough to describe its crowd as people who come back again and again. It bills itself as New England's favourite swingers lifestyle event and holds no premises of its own — it dresses a Providence room for the night and takes it down again.

Its own account of an evening starts at the door: guests are met by one of the event's security staff, who introduces himself and stays available all night. The organiser puts safety and comfort first in its copy and means the practical kind — a named person to go to. Inside there is a DJ and a dance floor, a pole, a swing, and a play area, with a dungeon set up for on-site play and both private and open play space available.

The brand's framing is deliberately permissive rather than prescriptive: from mild to wild, it says, your kinks are our pleasures, and how far anyone takes the night is their own business. Nights are themed and run 9 PM to 2 AM.

Vendors and sponsors travel with it — a lifestyle boutique sells on site, and a photographer works the room. Dates are published on the Mindbender Parties site. Check there for the next one, and browse our Providence guide for the city's venues and other party brands.