Let's go to a "birthday cafe" together.

In South Korea, when it's an idol's birthday, fans usually put up congratulatory advertisements at subway stations, public buses, etc. But recently, young people have chosen to express their love for their stars at birthday cafes.

The party had no main character.

Through social media, fandoms can share information and organize events in their own way. They collaborate with cafes for a specific period, usually 3-5 days, to celebrate their idol's birthday. When fans visit the birthday cafe and buy drinks, the money collected goes to the cafe. Therefore, cafes usually don't charge a rental fee for the space.

"Birthday cafe" became one of the trending keywords in K-pop in 2022. Huynh Yen, a student studying in Seoul (South Korea), excitedly recounted her visit to a birthday cafe dedicated to Super Junior's Yesung: "Yesung's pictures and albums were displayed throughout the cafe. It was a fan-only party, with no artist in attendance. People ordered drinks to receive cups and other items (photocards, keychains, stickers, fans, etc.) printed with their idol's image."

A birthday cafe for singer Yesung in Seoul (South Korea) - Photo: Huynh Yen.

Notably, this wasn't the only cafe showing affection for Yesung. There were more than six similar birthday cafes dedicated to him in Mapo, Gwangjin, Seongdong districts, and other areas. Huynh Yen spent two days visiting four of them. On his official birthday, Yen made sure to arrive at the birthday cafe early to receive a limited-edition item: a chibi version of her idol made of cotton fabric.

Around an idol's birthday, there can be dozens of birthday cafes organized by fansites – websites/fan pages created by fans. The term "birthday cafe tour" emerged when fans visited multiple cafes to collect merchandise related to their beloved celebrity.

Besides birthday parties, cafes are also venues for celebrating idol debut anniversaries, congratulating new album releases, and more. Photo: Nguyen Tran

A meeting point for people on the same "frequency".

Organizing a birthday coffee shop requires a lot of time, effort, and enthusiasm, especially when it comes to gifts. The masters – the leading members of the fansite – are responsible for designing and producing cups, cards, merchandise, and decorations. Falling in FREEN – the Vietnamese fan page of Thai actress Freen Sarocha Chankimha – recently completed a birthday coffee shop project for their idol right in Thailand. The fan page's master team designed the images and merchandise themselves, found a printing place, and then packed everything into suitcases along with their love, traveling from Vietnam to Thailand.

The birthday coffee event for Freen was organized by the Falling in FREEN fanpage - Photo: Sweet Unicorn

In Vietnam, birthday cafes are mostly held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Items related to the idols are decorated everywhere, and there are attractive photo areas. Fans enjoy music , play quizzes, participate in lucky draws, eat and drink, socialize, exchange merchandise, and share their passions. These events provide opportunities for them to hone their organizational skills, unleash their creativity and aesthetic sense, while also connecting and strengthening a healthy and united fandom.

Many young people are happy to actively participate in supporting their idols. In fact, meeting and interacting with many people who share similar interests helps them become more confident in communication and relieve stress. Along with the development of technology and the characteristic creativity of the younger generation, fandom events are becoming increasingly large-scale and well-organized. Beyond birthday parties, cafes are also places where fans celebrate their idols' debut anniversaries, congratulate them on new album releases, etc. The emotions these events evoke show that the relationship between idols and fans is reciprocal; the presence of both sides is always a source of strength and motivation for each other.

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

Having been a fan for over 10 years and attending numerous birthday coffee events for her idols, Nguyen Tran (from Phu Yen province) shared: "We are just ordinary young people who love coffee and our idols' albums. Here, we always have like-minded friends by our side, so we can have fun and temporarily forget the hustle and bustle outside, only seeing the beautiful things." Fandom activities have also helped this young woman accumulate experience for her current work in entertainment and art.

Unique and unusual gifts for idols.

Thai artists are just as popular with young people as their Korean idols. Fans have often impressed with their generosity and creativity in giving gifts. On birthdays or special occasions, idols often receive countless "money flowers" as gifts. "Money flowers" are quite common in this country. Besides the usual bouquets of flowers, the money is also arranged to spell out the idol's name or create designs related to them.

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