A Cupsleeve Retrospective
Thoughts Planning a Silly K-pop Event
When I first learned about cupsleeve events, I was not yet a K-pop stan, and admittedly, I didn’t get it. My first few questions were along the lines of: “You’re spending your own money? But the members aren’t going to be there right? Then why?”
This was back in 2019, before we went through whatever we went through, and I was unaware of what I had in store for me in my first year back in New York City full-time after graduating college.
Fast forward to now, 2023, and I am still in New York, now a K-pop fan, and I get it now. Get it so much to the point that my friends and I held a cupsleeve of our own two weeks ago.
It’s honestly a bit funny!
Cupsleeve events are hosted by K-pop fans to celebrate a moment, like a birthday, album release, or anniversary. From Korea to the Philippines to the U.S. and beyond, fans rent and decorate cafés, adorning the space with balloons and pictures. Custom-designed cupsleeves and other freebies (photocards, keychains, etc.) are handed out to attendees. (Though primarily held for K-pop idols, fans also hold café events for Korean actors and gamers as well. And a random one for Benedict Cumberbatch.)
As I’ve written before, I love thinking about, and occasionally participating in, aspects of community that exist within fandom. Many people are drawn to fandom for their love of the subject matter of course, but also for the opportunity to connect with others over this mutual love. You can always talk about things you love to people who don’t share it, but it’s a different experience talking about it with someone who does.
When I graduated from college and moved back to New York, only to have the pandemic start a mere ten months later, one of my realizations was how I yearned for a sense of community, especially during the transition from a college bubble to a big city. The people were right—you do make friends from participating in a weekly hobby. And with that not being an option in person, community was found virtually.
When the world began emerging from quarantine, these community bubbles started existing in person again. In those first few cupsleeve events I attended post-quarantine, all the flyers still had, “Masks required, please stay safe!” written across the bottom. There remained this desire to celebrate these artists and connect with others, especially after a time when we couldn’t.
I’ve thought a lot about the point of cupsleeve events and how to describe them to people who aren’t in this space. At the crux of it, it does seem a little odd from an outside perspective, especially in the west where fan culture takes a different form. The members won’t be there and probably will never know this event exists. Hosting these events is oftentimes not profitable. And it’s a lot of work, with decor to plan, goodie bags to assemble, cafés to rent, designers to commission, etc. So why? Why do all this?
Last fall, my friends and I kept joking about hosting a cupsleeve, until we all revealed that wait…we actually do want to hold one. We never spoke explicitly about why—maybe the answer was just so glaringly obvious that we didn’t need to discuss it.
In the world of K-pop where most things are driven by fans, we experienced this first-hand. One thing we kept in mind during planning was the kind of space we wanted to curate. We wanted the event to feel approachable, for people to feel immersed when they walked in and to feel comfortable taking photos and talking with others. Ultimately, we just wanted people to have a good time.
Over the course of two days, over 200 people stopped by, way more than we expected, to the point where we ran out of freebies. We talked to people about our favorite groups, bonded over shared thoughts and experiences. We took photos and met people we only knew from the internet in person for the first time.
At the end of the weekend, I was tired, but felt fulfilled. We should all have a fun little side hobby unrelated to work, and this event encapsulated a lot of what me and my friends found creatively fulfilling, like design and event planning. It was certainly a lot of work with no monetary gain, but that also takes a lot of the pressure off. We just wanted to have fun doing things we found rewarding and hoped people showed up for it.
At the end of the day, one of my hobbies has always been to sit at a café for a prolonged period of time talking with my friends. This event is barely out of the ordinary. So I think K-pop fans should host a silly café event when their favorite group releases an album. It’s parasocial, yes, but also just social in general. And that’s what makes life fun.
Some recs:
Pineapple Buns from Fay Da Bakery (Mott Street Location)
I’ve been going to Fay Da since I was a kid, and we started our cupsleeve mornings with pineapple buns from there. These were…so good. A crunchy top and still warm when we ate them. I love a bakery that stands the test of time.
Mostly Harmless Gifts & Haena’s World
The vendors from our event. If you’re ever in need of stickers!
Thank you for reading! Here’s a link to my previous post: February Wrapped.
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