SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Do you like to dance in the mornings? Because a new party trend starts early, and it's fueled by caffeine. One of these parties in Seattle is creating community among the Latino population there. From member station KNKX in Seattle, Freddy Monares reports.
FREDDY MONARES, BYLINE: There's about 150 people packed into this coffee shop in Seattle. They're dancing to reggaeton with drinks in hand - iced coffees, matchas and lattes.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in Spanish).
MONARES: It's all happening around noon, with sunshine streaming through the windows. Videos and photos of this monthly event have made the rounds on social media, bringing more partygoers. And this party's over by 2 p.m., giving people like Patty Montesi time to do other things. At 42, Montesi says that she's in her senora era, so drinking and staying up really late don't fit her lifestyle anymore.
PATTY MONTESI: Yeah, I'm going to go grocery shopping, go home, shower, take a nap, and then I'm going out tonight with some friends (laughter).
MONARES: An event like Coffeeton provides a space to sing out loud in Spanish and helps people like Montesi feel connected to their roots.
MONTESI: I'm Latina, and I don't have enough Latina-ness (ph) in my life in Seattle.
MONARES: The Seattle area is predominantly white, with 11% of the population identifying as Hispanic or Latino. This midday party is among many transforming coffee shops into day clubs in cities like D.C., Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles. In Chicago, event promoter Jordan Williams created a similar dance party called Cafeton. It got so big, he rented a venue to hold more people. Williams says around 5,000 people showed up.
JORDAN WILLIAMS: The demand kept coming. Like, I was even impressed. I'll be honest. Like, I was impressed. I was like, oh, my gosh, like, people are obsessed with this.
MONARES: It's a good combo, he says. Coffee shops are inviting. Caffeine hypes people up. Reggaeton makes them move. Plus, a recent survey shows the percentage of Americans who drink alcohol has fallen to a new low. And Williams says they're trying to find new social spaces.
WILLIAMS: A lot of people are in a phase right now of social curiosity, so really just being curious to getting outside, meeting new people.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in Spanish).
MONARES: Most people back at the party in Seattle are women. Some are wearing dresses and heels. Others are in gym clothes and running shoes. The space warms up quick, so people fan themselves while they twerk and twirl. Eventually, iced coffees are swapped for iced waters. Miriam DeLeon is among the caffeinated dancers. She says this party draws direct connections between Seattle and Latinos.
MIRIAM DELEON: I think it kind of marries the two, you know, because coffee is also really big in the Latin communities. 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.
MONARES: That familiarity is what DJ Leah York wanted when she created Coffeeton earlier this year. She migrated to the U.S. from Ecuador three years ago and says the people who come to Coffeeton are like family.
LEAH YORK: That means that we're especially, like, coming to a country where I didn't have, like, any relative nearby, you know, like, just have my husband. But now I think that I am creating a community where I feel, like, at home.
MONARES: York says Latinos need a place to celebrate and find community right now as the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions have caused anxiety.
YORK: You know, like, with the current situation of, like, our community, people are worried, people are scared. So they found, like, Coffeeton as, like, a place to forget problems, to just have fun, to connect with your culture.
MONARES: Most people at the Seattle party dance the entire three hours. When the music stopped, the crowd chanted otra over and over again because they wanted more.
For NPR News, I'm Freddy Monares in Seattle. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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