Invite each other to go to "birthday cafe"

In Korea, when it's their idol's birthday, fans often place congratulatory ads at subway stations, public buses... But recently, young people have chosen to express their love for their stars at birthday cafes.

The party has no main character

Through social media, fandoms can share information and organize events in their own way. They partner with cafes for a specific period of time, usually 3-5 days, to celebrate their idols' birthdays. When fans visit the birthday cafe and buy drinks, the proceeds go to the cafe. Therefore, cafes usually do not charge for space rental.

"Birthday cafe" has become one of the trending keywords of K-pop in 2022. Huynh Yen - an international student in Seoul (Korea) - excitedly told about her visit to the birthday cafe for singer Yesung of Super Junior: "Yesung's photos and albums were displayed throughout the shop. This was a party only for fans, without the participation of the artist. Everyone ordered to receive cups and items (photocards, keychains, stickers, fans...) printed with the image of their idol".

Birthday cafe for singer Yesung in Seoul (Korea) - Photo: Huynh Yen.

Notably, this is not the only cafe that shows affection for Yesung. There are more than 6 similar birthday cafes for him in Mapo, Gwangjin, Seongdong districts... Huynh Yen spent 2 days visiting 4 cafes. On the official birthday, Yen took the opportunity to go to the birthday cafe early to receive a limited item, an idol doll - a chibi version of the idol made of cotton.

Around an idol's birthday, there can be dozens of birthday cafes organized by fansites - websites/fanpages created by fans. The term "birthday cafe tour" comes from fans visiting multiple cafes to collect items related to their favorite celebrity.

Not only birthday parties, coffee shops are also places to celebrate the debut anniversary of idols, congratulate the release of new albums... Photo: Nguyen Tran

Meeting point of people on the same "frequency"

Organizing a birthday cafe requires a lot of time, effort and enthusiasm, especially when making gifts. The masters - the leading members of the fansite - are responsible for designing, producing cups, cards, items and decorations. Falling in FREEN - the Vietnamese fanpage of Thai actress Freen Sarocha Chankimha - has just completed a birthday cafe project for their idol right in the land of golden temples. The master team of this fanpage designed the images and items themselves, found a place to print them, then packed everything into a suitcase with love from Vietnam to Thailand.

Birthday Coffee event for Freen by fanpage Falling in FREEN - Photo: Sweet Unicorn

In Vietnam, birthday cafes mostly take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Items related to idols are decorated everywhere, and the photo areas are beautiful. Fans enjoy music , play quizzes, draw lucky draws, eat, socialize, exchange items and share their passion. The events create opportunities for them to hone their organizational skills, promote creativity and aesthetic thinking, and are also an opportunity to connect and strengthen a healthy and united fandom.

Many young people are happy to actively participate in activities to support their idols. In fact, meeting and interacting with people with similar interests helps them become more confident in communicating and relieving stress. Along with the development of technology and the creativity typical of the young generation, fandom events are becoming larger and more organized. Not only birthday parties, coffee shops are also places where fans celebrate their idols' debut anniversaries, congratulate the release of new albums, etc. The emotions that these events bring show that the relationship between idols and fans is reciprocal, the presence of both sides is always a strength and motivation for each other.

Birthday cafe for idols organized by fans in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Nguyen Tran

Having participated in the fandom for more than 10 years and attended many birthday coffee events for idols, Nguyen Tran (from Phu Yen ) shared: "We are normal young people who love coffee and idol albums. Here, there are always friends with the same frequency around so we can have fun and temporarily forget the hustle and bustle outside, only seeing beautiful things." Fandom activities also help the 9x girl accumulate experience for her current job related to entertainment and art.

Unique and strange gifts for idols

Thai artists are loved by young people no less than Korean idols. Many times, fans have left an impression with their generosity and creativity in giving gifts. On birthdays or special events, idols often receive countless lucky money flowers. "Money flowers" are quite popular gifts in this country. In addition to the usual bouquets of flowers, money is also arranged according to the name or models related to the idol.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/giao-duc-khoa-hoc/ru-nhau-di-quan-ca-phe-sinh-nhat-20230909221343177.htm