How A Love For K-Pop Is Building Communities And Changing Lives
Written by Ashley Coleman
Photos by Ella Barnes // @ellaebarnes // (she/her)
It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon – for many, a time allocated to unwinding and relaxing before starting a new week. But John Wilkinson, owner of K-Pop Nite TX, is hard at work outside Austin’s newly opened Purr-fecto Cat Lounge, scanning tickets and prepping a long line of eager attendees for their entry. Behind them sits an open parking lot area where tables featuring neat displays of handmade items fill the space. A faint stream of music is heard every time the lounge door opens. And glimpses of kittens darting past purple streamers and photos of Suga, a member of the global K-Pop sensation known as BTS, are visible through the lounge’s windows. For Wilkinson and the attendees, it is not a day for unwinding but for celebration– executed through what is known to K-Pop fans as a cup sleeve event.
Cup sleeve events gather like-minded fans to celebrate their favorite K-Pop idols/groups for reasons such as birthdays, anniversaries, or large-scale achievements. These events, which originated in South Korea, help unite lovers of the genre and are planned and executed by devoted fans. For the Texas area, Wilkinson’s very own K-Pop Nite TX is a heavy contributor to the K-Pop scene. K-Pop Nite TX is known and named after its popular nighttime party events that allow attendees to dance the night away; but other events like cup sleeves are a hit too. All of their events share a common goal: they provide a space where K-Pop fans can build lasting communities.
“Obviously K-Pop is getting more mainstream. But it still feels like one of those niche things where, if you love K-Pop, then you [do] what? [These are] really special events where people can go, see each other in person, make that connection, and make new friends,” Wilkinson says.
But before these connections can start forming, the event where it happens must first be planned.
“There was about 2 months' lead time, from when I first met Lupita, the owner of Purr-fecto, to the actual event,” Wilkinson says when asked about preparing for this cup sleeve event.
Upon securing a venue and a date, he then launches immediately into picking a theme, planning decorations, making flyers, and, of course, promoting the event. None of these tasks are easy feats, but, in the end, seeing all of one’s hard work come to fruition can be rewarding.
For this cup sleeve event, Wilkinson’s theme of choice was kittens. Fittingly, as the idol this event honored, Suga, is most associated with cats by many of his fans. And there’s no better place to hold a cat-themed event than Purr-fecto Cat Lounge: a new cat cafe where individuals can go to play with adoptable cats and help them find forever homes. A purchase of tier one at this event allowed for 30 minutes of playtime with the kittens, plus an adorable polaroid to remember your time there; tier two includes all of tier one as well as a 24oz bubble tea and a goodie bag filled with items related to Suga. And for those looking for even more K-Pop-related items, the event featured small businesses like Sweet Shy and Tiny Spirit Shop, both specializing in fan-made merchandise. For these vendors, Wilkinson’s events have made quite an impact.
Shy Delgado, owner of Sweet Shy, says that attending these events have been a fun way to meet other small businesses while watching each other grow over time.
For Carolina Urdaneta, owner of Tiny Spirit Shop, being a part of these events and enjoying K-Pop has helped her settle down and find true friends.
“When I first came to the US, the process of adjusting and adapting took a toll. [But] when I got into K-Pop, it didn’t matter about lineage, I felt included,” Urdaneta says.
Amongst attendees, the cup sleeve event was also a massive hit.
First time event-goer Thu Paw says, “It’s pretty fun. It’s, like, cool to see a cup sleeve event because there weren’t a lot of K-Pop fans in my area so it’s pretty cool. It’s helped me find a couple [of other] K-Pop fans.”
When asked if she planned to attend another K-Pop Nite TX event, she responded with an enthusiastic yes.
As for Wilkinson, this is just the beginning.
“After working at it for two years… I was able to leave my job and do this full-time. It’s been almost 6 months since I left and it’s been great,” he says after being asked about how throwing K-Pop-related events throughout Texas has impacted him.
His future plans? To continue creating these types of welcoming environments, with hopes to one day expand K-Pop Nite TX’s reach.
“There’s plenty of places where they just don’t have something like this. I’d love to be able to take it as far as I can,” Wilkinson says.
A purrr-fect plan indeed.