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People strolling along North Avenue Beach, a sandy strip on Lake Michigan, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, are apt to see something unusual on Sunday evenings.
That’s because Chicago’s “Scream Club” meets there every week during the city’s warmer months, bringing together a community of up to 300 people who like to scream out over the water – and it’s an activity that seems to be spreading across the US.
Founded last year by couple Emanuel Hernandez and Elena Soboleva, the Chicago Scream Club has become a popular resource for anyone looking to release stress or, in at least one case, celebrate getting married. Videos online of people standing in line, each shrieking into the lake, proves that it’s a popular group activity.
“I think a lot of people think screaming is silly by themselves. So then, when they have permission from other people, screaming with them, I think it just gives them confidence to be able to do it,” said Hernandez, who works as a breathwork practitioner, a men’s coach and a fitness coach.
The screaming, videos of which went viral online this week, started after Hernandez and Soboleva found themselves arguing. Hernandez had moved to Chicago to be with Soboleva, leaving behind a career as an actor and crossfit coach. The pair were having issues settling into their new routine, Hernandez said.
“One day we were walking by the lake, and I said: ‘Do you want to just go scream into the lake? And she said: ‘You know, yes, but, like, what if people were around?’” Hernandez, 41, recalled.
“And I go: ‘I’ll just ask them if they want to join us.’ And so that’s what we did. We found a pier that goes out into the water far enough so that if somebody was around they wouldn’t be able to hear us, but there were people there. So we just asked them: ‘Hey, look, we’re about to scream into the lake. If you’d like to join us, you’re more than welcome.’”
Hernandez, 41, said those people responded, “Hell yeah” – and joined the couple in screaming.
“That’s when Elena and I were like: “Wow, that was really cool! And I think that we should probably do something with it.’”
They created a poster inviting people to come and scream with them, and slowly more and more people started showing up weekly. The pair said that by the sixth week, more than 300 people were showing up. Since then, Hernandez and Soboleva have expanded the club, with screaming events held in cities including Austin, Phoenix, and Washington DC. There’s even an online Scream Club website – although this is not associated with Hernandez and Soboleva’s club – where people can “scream with others across the internet”.
“Everyone has a very different reason [for coming]. Some do come because they need to release that stress and those anxieties, and the buildup of emotions, but there are some people who come to celebrate. Two weeks ago we had a new bride come with her girlfriends to scream and celebrate her wedding in this really unique form,” said Soboleva, a branding consultant for women-owned businesses who moved to the US from Russia in 2011.
“We’ve seen people of all ages, people of all nationalities, all different walks of life coming over. There are people who cry, there are people who break down, you know it’s just all this pent-up stuff that they’ve they’ve been holding on to for so long.”
The pair guide attenders through the screaming session. They hand each person “a piece of biodegradable paper”, Soboleva, 36, said, where people are encouraged to write down “what they want to let go of”, or what their intention is. They then throw the paper into the water and scream.
Soboleva said there is no need for specialist clothing or equipment. “Just feel comfortable,” she said. Hernandez advised that individuals scream quietly at the beginning, before building to their loudest scream.
“The biggest tip I would just tell people is just: don’t be afraid. It’s: just give in and let go. It’s such a taboo thing to think about screaming, so when we give people that permission to do it, it’s just like just: show up,” he said.
“That’s the most important thing. You’re not only showing up for yourself, but you’re showing up to the people in your life who love you and want to see you doing well.”
