‘I can’t party like I was 18′: Winnipegger starts all-women’s brunch rave to offer support

Women gather to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Girls Brunch at Kilter Brewing Company in Winnipeg, Man., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Sunny Disposition Productions)

A Winnipegger has started an all-women’s brunch rave after she was left devastated following the closure of her spin studio—and she’s hopeful her events can help uplift morale among other women.

“So much of who I was and my purpose in life, and the things that I cared so much about, was bringing people together and community through music and just connection,” said Bree Guenette, who taught spin for the past seven years.

“And all of a sudden (the spin studio) was gone. And I was like, I don’t event know who I am… I completely lost purpose,” Guenette said.

She said a friend encouraged her to rediscover that sense of community by expanding the occasional parties she’d throw in her kitchen every few months, and from there emerged Girls Brunch.

“I partnered with a small local bar in the city … So I put tickets for sale. I had about 25, 30 friends show up for the first one,” she said. “Everybody was just like, ‘It’s intentional. It’s meaningful.’ You leave feeling like an amplified version of yourself when you leave Girls Brunch.”

Guenette said she has since organized a dozen all-women gatherings over the past year at various public locations around the city. The events include an ‘hour of power’ on the dance floor, charcuterie cups, and a sharing circle.

“I like to say, ‘being vulnerable cracks you open so the light can shine through.’ And it just makes all these women in the room feel like, ‘Wow, I’m not alone.’”

The founder of Girls Brunch said the events, hosted roughly each month, are open to girls 18 years and older and have even seen grandmothers attend.

“As I’m getting closer to 40 next year, I realized that I can’t be the only one that still wants to party but wants to do it a little differently. I can’t party like I was 18. Those days are gone,” Guenette said.

“I just want to create spaces for women to just love themselves and feel amazing and beautiful and like the powerful goddesses that they truly are.”

She said sometimes the events also partner with local organizations, such as women’s shelters and a group raising funds to support fertility treatments.

“It just always comes down to love for me, and anything that I do, I just want people to feel loved.”

More information on Girls Brunch can be found online.