Side Quest Social

A new group comes to minneapolis

camille jackson

The first things I noticed were an 8-foot-tall pile of leaves, a 10-foot-tall ladder, and a zipline. As people one after the other dropped into the pile, the crowd surrounding them cheered after every flip and roll. Off to the side, people were grilling hot dogs to share and handing out apple cider in true autumn fashion. In the vast array of people—from bikers to community college students, to the men dressed as stylish cowboys and the three ginger kids running around—people were choosing to come together and play in the leaves.

Despite all the excitement, while waiting in line, what intrigued me most was the social interactions. Jumping between conversations and listening in to others, it was clear that people were getting out of their regular groups and making new friends. People from different subcultures invited each other to upcoming local concerts and events.

With the large and friendly crowd it would be hard to guess that Side Quest Social, the group that organized this event, has only hosted a handful of events before this.

Their specialty is their PowerPoint nights, the most recent of which was called “PowerPoint Night: Super Mega Living Room.” The organizers invited people to bring couches and living room decor to fill out the space they rented and give it that homey feeling. It drew a crowd of over 200 people excited to hear presenters back up their hot takes and wild stories. Titles included “Floating from Minneapolis to St. Paul on an air mattress,” “Taylor Swift better be gay or she has a lot of explaining to do,” and “Things your surgeon wishes you knew.”

If you want to get in on the Side Quest Social action you can follow them on Instagram @sidequestsocial_mn to keep up with their next side quest.