By Elizabeth Louie

Research question: How does the language of invitations indicate the values of the community(s) participating?

Invitation title: Reggaeton Paradise

Host: The Latin Social

Venue: Lost In Paradise Rooftop 11-01 43rd Avenue Queens, NY 11101

Invitees: 21+, valid ID needed

Price of admission: $12-$40 (prices increase as event date gets closer)

Date(s): Sat-Sun, 5/13-5/14, 11pm-4am

Description of event: Get ready to experience Reggaeton Paradise! Reggaeton Paradise is the ultimate Saturday night perreo party at the Lost in Paradise Rooftop in Long Island City, Queens! Reggaeton Paradise features the best DJs, the best crowd and amazing views of New York City!

Dress code/other special requests: Smart casual

Theme: event uniqueness

* Le Bal Français @ 5th&Mad · Manhattan: “even if you’ve never been to France you’ll know a lot of these songs”

Party theme is a niche topic: French music

* NIGHT CULT: Acid Eastern, Soso Tharpa: “…ceremony of senses, sound, movement and magick…”

Theme is very specific: the fantastical/mystical

#1 Certified Saturdays 2 floor party at Katra NYC: “Is It Your Special Night? Celebrate with us & get catered to like royalty…”

Party itself doesn’t have anything special (just that guests will be treated like “royalty”), but high price tag & strict dress code will automatically filter out a large portion of potential partygoers (ie those who can’t afford the tickets or the clothing)

* Reggaeton Paradise: “GOOD VIBES ONLY! COME AND DANCE TO THE BEST IN DANCEHALL, SOCA, AFROBEATS, REGGAE, AND MORE.”

Right in the middle of the two extremes. Party has a set theme (reggaeton) but factors like dress code & ticket price that may deter potential guests. It is to be noted that dress code is not as strict as events like #1 Certified Saturday, nor is the price as steep.

* Afrobeats & Trap Forever: “A vibe you need to catch…”

Event itself is centered around music, like Reggaeton Paradise. However,  there is no dress code and admission is free if tickets are reserved in advance, so this event lies further on the “theme/activity specificity” side of the spectrum as opposed to “guest specificity”.

* Brooklyn Craft Beer Fest: “…eclectic local variety of superbly fermented beer and cider…found only at craft beer festival.”

Though there is a price of admission and a dress code, the admission price seems reasonable to cover the beer tasting that all guests are offered. The dress code specifies no large bags, but not clothing, which implies the code is in place for safety reasons and not to maintain an air of elitism. This party uses the event itself as a draw, rather than the guests invited.

Results/Conclusions:

For this project, I analyzed the language of invitations to glean the values of the communities hosting and participating in the parties. In this way, I could infer what these communities thought was worth celebrating, or hosting an event around, as well as who could be a part of the festivities. 

To do so, I specifically chose public events on the front page of EventBrite, which would ensure these events were open to the public. These gatherings would be more likely to cater to communities, rather than individuals (eg a birthday party for a child’s classmates or a wedding for the couple’s family and friends). Furthermore, I looked through the first 15 postings within the span of one weekend (5/13-5/14) so I would not unconsciously choose certain events over others. From there, I narrowed down the options to 10 parties from a variety of organizers.

Most invitations included language that made it sound unique. Rather than trying to appeal to a wide variety of people, each party seemed to try and appeal to a specific niche. Interestingly, though, some parties emphasized their uniqueness through the people that would be invited, while others emphasized the activities or theme of the party. Those that boasted the latter tended to be more expensive, have dress codes, and use language that implied elitism. #1 Certified Saturdays 2 floor party at Katra NYC showcases this idea the most, promising to treat its guests like “royalty” as long as they dressed “mandatory sexy and city chic.” Its ticket was by far the most expensive as well, at $700. Big Apple Brunch & Day Party was also fairly expensive, with tickets between $45-$100+ depending on the menu chosen. The description advertised the “BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!!” that would be in attendance and specified that attendees could not wear sagging pants.

Other parties chose to spotlight the event itself, such as NIGHT CULT: Acid Eastern, Soso Tharpa; Le Bal Français; and Heavy on That: The 21st Annual Junior Scholars Program Youth Summit. The event descriptions focused heavily on the event’s purpose and activities, as well as what made it unique. Night Cult advertised itself as a celebration of the mystical arcane, Le Bal Français as a celebration of French music, and Heavy on That as a showcase of Black youth creativity. The organizers of Night Cult and Le Bal Français also made it a point to emphasize that anyone was welcome to their events, which stood in direct contrast to the organizers that relied on the exclusivity of their guest list as a draw to their events. Le Bal Français wrote “come as you are” and specified that the French music that would be played would be recognizable to anyone. While Night Cult had dress suggestions to fit with their theme, they also specified that they had a zero tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination, had gender neutral restrooms, and ADA accessible entrances. 

In a city with millions of partygoers, party hosts tend to create gatherings that occupy different niches in the hopes of attracting certain communities. Invitations therefore reflect the specificity of these events, and use descriptions that make the party seem unique from the dozens of others happening at the same time. However, the approach hosts use varies: some use their guest list as a draw for their events while others use the event itself. Those that use the former method often have a more generic premise (eg brunch or an opportunity to mingle in a luxe setting), but require guests pay more or dress a certain way to give the party a sense of elitism and exclusivity. Those that use the latter method revolve around much more narrow themes (eg French music and the supernatural), but welcome a much wider variety of guests to compensate for the specificity of the event itself. Invitations reflect their parties and parties reflect our city. What do we choose to celebrate? The multitudes of interests that connect people from thousands of statuses and backgrounds? Or our place on the penthouses of the New York City skyscrapers, looking down upon the millions who walk below us?