St. Louis transplant Yonnick Jones saw what he thought was a need on the local nightlife scene.
“With larger cities getting more expensive, people are looking for the next best place that provides a live, work/play balance,” Jones said. “And I think St. Louis has that, but we need to bring more sophistication to the nightlife component.”
Instead of just complaining, Jones stepped into action. He founded The Function, a six-week semiannual party series. Its goal is to bring a “vibrant and sophisticated” experience to St. Louis as a way of providing elevated night life.
“The Function [also] sparked as an idea to give people more activity during the week,” Jones said. The inaugural installment took place on Wednesdays at the 21c Museum Hotel.
“Every week has been different based on the people that show up,” said Jones. “It’s been a breath of fresh air for the city and for the people that want to get out in the middle of the week.”
The Function’s summer series recently wrapped. They will return in September for its winter series – which will culminate with a New Year’s Eve celebration.
The Raleigh, North Carolina native moved to St. Louis in 2022 to partner in developing William Academy, a Montessori school in North St. Louis that focuses on S.T.E.A.M. education.
“The school is doing well at this point,” Jones said. “So, this is me branching out to create more activity for the community as a whole, but specifically that age group 25 to 50 years old.”
The first iteration of The Function had different themes that were connected to musical genres and subgenres. So far they have had EDM, Hip Hop and R&B, and Afro Beats.
“I think Afro beats has a really special place in people’s hearts right now,” Jones said. “And the outfits people will come wearing to Afro beats night is all high fashion. I feel like I’m in New York.”
For more information and updates about The Function, including the upcoming winter installment, visit www.tfstl.com
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
