Forget the Sandwich Shop: Swedes Hit the Club on Their Lunch Breaks

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Kirsten Thyberg Eddyson / AP

Instead of grabbing some grub, some Swedes are picking up their dancing shoes when the clock strikes noon. In the newest trend to sweep Sweden, hundreds of office workers are heading to the club for their lunch break, as reported by the Associated Press.

Employees get to dance away their frustrations at Lunch Beat, an event that lasts precisely for one hour. Pulsating club music? Included. Then it’s back to the cubicle.

Dancers do get to eat during Lunch Beat, though, so they don’t go back to work hungry. A fee for the event, usually around 100 kronor or $14, is used to cover rent and basic sandwiches.

(MORE: Swedish Police Officer Fights Crime with Sweet Dance Moves)

Lunch Beat was first held in June 2010 in Stockholm. And even though only 14 people showed up, word quickly spread. Now the monthly event attracts hundreds of office bees in droves. Other Swedish cities have joined in on the fray, while countries like Finland, Serbia and Portugal are also participating.

The organization intends to remain non-profit, and recently opened up a foundation called the Lunch Beat Branch Bank. The funds, according to the group’s website, “will continuously be distributed to new start-ups branches, which are in need of a small funding to get a great start.”

Daniel Odelstad, the 31-year-old organizer of Lunch Beat Stockholm, says there are some simple rules that every attendee must follow. “The first rule of Lunch Beat is that you have to dance. If you don’t want to dance during your lunch hour, then you should eat your lunch somewhere else.”

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Erica Ho is a contributor at TIME and the editor of Map Happy. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.