On a recent Saturday at The Station, a coffee shop in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood, Spanish music blared from speakers. A DJ table was centered on a dance floor.
Ty Torres was among about 150 people who danced to reggaeton with drinks in hand.
"We love musica Latina, reggaeton, bachata, salsa, everything," she said.
It's a typical party scene, except it happened around noon with sunshine peering through the windows. The drinks were either an iced coffee, latte or matcha. This party is called Coffeetón and it's been receiving a lot of attention on social media.
Torres, 27, is from Orlando, Florida, but recently moved to Seattle from Kansas City with her wife, Jordyn. It was their second time coming to this monthly party.
Torres said she doesn't mind the absence of alcohol because she's naturally energetic.
"Everyone around me is also lit. They're also having fun, but there's no alcohol here — unless they're doing their own business," Torres said. "I think everybody here is drinking coffee, so that's a good vibe. Yeah it’s cool."
These midday parties are transforming coffee shops into dance clubs in big cities throughout the country.
The Seattle area is predominately white, with about 11% of the population identifying as Hispanic or Latino. So a monthly event that features Spanish music provides a safe space to sing out loud and helps people feel connected to their Latin roots.
A dream
DJ Leah York created Coffeetón earlier this year. She immigrated here from Ecuador three years ago, and said she was yearning for community being away from family and close friends.
"And I just feel this like missing feeling of something. And I was like, Ok, I have to create something," she said.
York saw other midday parties happening in Seattle and elsewhere, but none locally that catered to the Latino population. She said she thought about it so much that she had a dream about it. In her dream, York said, 500 people came to her rooftop party that went viral on social media.
"And then the next day, I was telling my husband, 'Okay, I'm going to do this.'" York said. "So I just started to do that research for coffee shops where I can make this dream come true."
York eventually met with Jose Luis Rodriguez, owner of The Station coffee shop. By the time they spoke, Rodriguez said he had already heard about the midday party.
"So when she came to me, I was like, 'hell yeah, let's do it,'" Rodriguez said. "Without even knowing her, she was the right person for this. I'm so excited, and I'm very thankful and glad that we did that."
Rodriguez said the coffee shop gets busy when it hosts a Coffeetón party.
"This is not a normal day at a coffee shop, you know. It's a celebration, that's for sure," he said.
Just like York's dream, the event has caught some steam on social media. A Coffeetón video posted to Tik Tok has been viewed more than 30,000 times. And the party is growing. York recently hosted a Coffeetón party in Portland, Oregon.
'A lot of celebration'
Most of the people at the recent Coffeetón party were women. Some wore dresses and heels, others sported gym clothes and running shoes. The space warmed up quick, so people fanned themselves while they danced. Eventually, iced coffees were swapped for iced waters.
Patty Montesi said her friend found the event and invited her.
"I'm Latina and I don't have enough Latina-ness in my life in Seattle," she said.
At 42, Montesi said she's in her "señora era," so drinking and staying up really late don’t fit her lifestyle anymore. The party ends at 2 p.m., leaving Montesi time to do other things.
“I'm going to go grocery shopping, go home, shower, take a nap, and then I'm going out tonight with some friends,” she said.
Miriam DeLeon found the event on social media and wanted to show a visiting friend the culture of the region. She said the party drew direct connections between the city and Latinos.
"Honestly, Seattle being such a coffee culture, I think it kind of marries the two, you know, because coffee is also really big in the Latin communities," the 34-year-old said. "So I think it's a familiar sense of a little cafecito, a little bit of music and a lot of celebration and good times, you know?"
DeLeon said she felt like something deeper was happening at this party.
"It actually feels really nice to be growing part of the Latin and Hispanic community. I'm a transplant from Miami, Florida, so having this energy makes Seattle feel even more like home. It definitely brings a touch of community and it makes it feel like a family," she said.
'Otra!'
The midday party scene is growing. The Coffee and Chill party in Austin, Texas, pegs itself as a social wellness club on its website. In Los Angeles, Early Birdz party on its Instagram urged people to "wake the flock up." And in the South, Coffee Party Atlanta is providing a sober alternative to nightclubs.
In Chicago, Jordan Williams started Cafetón in November with frequent parties at coffee shops for about 50 people. He said the event is now once every few months at a venue, where he invites five local coffee shops to sell drinks. Williams said about 5,000 people showed up to his most recent event.
“The demand kept coming, like I was even impressed – I’ll be honest – I was really impressed," he said. "I was like, oh my gosh, people are obsessed with this.”
Williams said the success of the event comes from a combination of things. Coffee shops are inviting environments. Caffeine hypes people up. Reggaeton makes them move. Williams said right now people are also trying to find new social spaces.
“A lot of people are in a phase of social curiosity – so really just being curious to getting outside, meeting new people,” he said.
York, in Seattle, said she created Coffeetón to find community within the area's Latino population. She said the people who come to these parties have become like family to her — they engage with her on social media and cheer her on.
"So that means the world, especially coming to a country where I didn't have any relatives nearby — you know, like, I just have my husband. But now I think that I am creating a community where I feel like at home. So that's very important for me," York said.
She said that sense of home means so much more right now, as federal immigration enforcement actions have caused anxiety among people of color and immigrant populations.
"With the current situation of our community, people are worried. People are scared," York said. "They found Coffeetón as like a place to forget problems, to just have fun, to connect with your culture."
Most people at the Seattle party danced the entire three hours. When the music stopped, the crowd chanted "otra" over and over again because they wanted more.
