Out Late: Here’s what it was like to throw Whorechata’s sold-out anniversary party
“Out Late” is Time Out’s nightlife and party column by DJ, Whorechata founder, and Staff Writer Ian Kumamoto, which publishes every other Tuesday. The previous edition highlighted Maxwell Vice, a NYC nightlife legend.
Three years ago this month, just as New York City was beginning to roar back to life after COVID-19 restrictions, I decided to throw a queer party in a small space owned by a friend in East Harlem. I made a video about it on TikTok and didn’t think much of it. When the day rolled around, more than 200 people showed up, mostly queer and trans people of color eager to be amongst community again.
The party itself was a reflection of my own scattered mind: The event was named “Amor Prohibido,” after the Selena song, but we didn’t play any Selena. There was techno, a piñata, booze, and churros. It was hot, and everyone who got their picture taken that day dripped with sweat. There was kissing and friend-making and maybe even baby-making, according to dispatches I heard from the bathroom. The cops were called on us and we were shut down by 11:30pm. It was the most legendary beginning I can imagine for what would eventually become the party I now produce, Whorechata.
The past three years have been a fever dream: We’ve taken over NYC’s most iconic venues, including Elsewhere, Nowadays, and 3 Dollar Bill. We’ve booked DJs like Memphy, River Moon, and Ms. Nina. This year, Rolling Stone wrote about us, and NYC Pride invited us to produce one of their flagship parties, TEAZE. In a nightlife landscape where most events have a lifespan of just a few months, I’m proud of what we’ve built. I’m not flexing, but I’m also flexing, mostly because I still can’t even believe this is happening.
What people don’t always hear, though, is how complicated and stressful things can get behind the scenes. When people enter the space, it’s my job to make them feel like they can leave whatever might be weighing on them behind, even if it’s just for a few hours. To me, Whorechata’s purpose is to be a space of catharsis and safety for marginalized communities.
Part of my mission at Time Out has been to get people to take nightlife and nightlife workers more seriously.
But much as I’d like for people to think that all events materialize organically, part of my mission at Time Out has been to get people to take nightlife and nightlife workers more seriously, which means being more transparent about everything it takes to throw an event. That’s why I wanted to offer a peek behind the curtain of what it takes to make a party come alive.
Last Friday, June 7, we put together WHORECHELLA for our three-year anniversary. We had an iconic lineup that included myself and my friend Roman Sensation, Jersey Club pioneer Cookiee Kawaii, Byrell the Great, Dos Flakos, and Vice. Another friend and iconic drag queen Felicia Oh curated a lineup of drag performers that included Mariyea and Angel Au. We got a mariachi band because every party should have something unexpected.
Every party should have something unexpected.
There was also a pole dancer, Cassandra Rose. Moses Leonardo and Dawnii MC’ed. Promoter friends Papito Suave and Venus Cuffs, as well as the clubwear brand LEAK NYC, hosted and brought their people. Our graphic designers Edwin Castillo and Izzy Ross created flyers that referenced Troye Sivan’s “Rush” music video. We had red-and-purple streamers custom made by Nick Andersen from Confetti System that conveyed sizzling summer heat. Documenting it all was the talented photographer Miguel McSongwe, whose pictures I’m using here.
An hour-by-hour account of WHORECHELLA from my POV
9pm
My friends Dan Haggerty, Croix, Vincent, Bry, Edlynn, and Dawn arrive at Market Hotel in Brooklyn to set up, but there’s another DJ set happening. I knew about this, but was hoping they would end early because we need at least an hour to set up, and doors open at 11. We can’t go in the green room because I’m told Tinashe is there (I checked, Tinashe was not there), so we wait in the basement.
10pm
We get tired of waiting in the basement, so we crash the green room. Tinashe is still nowhere to be seen. It’s Dan’s birthday, and we surprise him with a cake. He’s the kind of person who looks like he could be 23 or 35, and I mean that as a huge compliment. The other people who are in the green room help us sing happy birthday to him, and he blows out his candles.
10:30pm
The previous event finishes and we rush to set up. Dan is super good and efficient but even then, we have to push back doors by 10-15 minutes, and I’m already calculating how that’s going to affect everyone’s set times. A friend of the pole dancer comes to set up the portable pole in the middle of the space.
11:11pm
The venue turns on the fog machine and we’re ready to open doors. I get on the deks with Roman Sensation and we b2b. We’re serving sexy gay Bushwick fantasy with our set. I play “Nasty” by Tinashe to manifest her. I’m having a great time for about 40 minutes when I get the text from the person who is supposed to DJ after us, Cookiee Kawaii, telling me she’s stuck in traffic and that she’ll be late because she’s driving from New Jersey. Miguel comes to take our pictures and I look stressed. Because I am.
11:50pm
The mariachis text me telling me they’re outside in a car, and I’m confused because they’re not supposed to go on until 12:50am. I leave Roman to DJ while I go out to check on the mariachis. They are just in their car chilling, and they say they’ll just wait in there until it’s their time to go on. I walk back into Market and the line to get in is getting longer. I check our ticket sales and see that we just sold out.
12:30am
Roman’s set was supposed to end at midnight but Cookiee is still not here. To make things worse, someone kicked the fog machine and it broke. I contemplate running to a nearby bar and stealing a fog machine but it would be crazy if I ended up in jail during my own party. Maybe no one really notices these things, but I do.
It’s hard. I care about this party a lot and I want everyone to have a lot of fun.
Then I remember what one of my nightlife friends, Papito, told me: If you’re not enjoying your own party, why would you expect others to? So I do my very best to be present and relax. It’s hard. I care about this party a lot and I want everyone to have a lot of fun.
12:45am
My friend, Bry, helps me troubleshoot. I decide that we’ll do performances before Cookiee’s set instead of after her set so we get the drag queens backstage and tell them to get ready.
12:50am
Moses and Dawnii get on the mic and introduce our party. They always make sure to say that Whorechata is a space that centers queer and trans people of color because it’s very important that people understand and respect that.
They always make sure to say that Whorechata is a space that centers queer and trans people of color because it’s very important that people understand and respect that.
I brought a spotlight I bought off Amazon and asked my friend Edlynn to point it at the performers. When Mariyea gets on to perform her Beychella number, I see Edlynn struggle to follow her movements with the spotlight, but it doesn’t really matter because the crowd is having a great time.
12:56am
I have the mariachis on standby because they’re gonna go on as soon as Mariyea finishes. My friend Csyan, or Bodegaparty if you want to call her by her DJ name, clears the way for them.
It’s so healing to see mariachis not even fazed about being in a queer space.
As soon as the mariachis come out, people are confused and gagged. I’m happy it’s having the reaction I wanted and honestly, it’s so healing to see mariachis not even fazed about being in a queer space. I feel like a small part of me is fixed. They sing “Son de la Negra” and “La Malagueña,” as per my request.
1am
Roman is still on the deks. It’s been two hours since he first got on, and he REALLY needs to pee. “Can you come?” he texts me. By the time I get there I realize he has abandoned the DJ booth, which is totally my fault for leaving him there that long. He gets back just in time to play the track for the next performer, Angel Au, who does a gag-worthy Gaga number to close out the “WHORECHELLA” brief.
1:05am
Finally, Cookiee Kawaii gets on and has an amazing set. She performs her song “Vibe,” which was a huge TikTok sensation a couple years back and is having a resurgence. The crowd lives for it. At some point, Cassandra Rose gets on the pole and everyone cheers. Now that I’m more relaxed, I’m starting to take notice of all the cool people who are here. I say hi to the legendary Tivali, also known by her DJ name DollNxtDoor.
2:10am
Everything is pushed back by an hour. I’m still stressed but resigned. Dos Flakos, an iconic DJ duo known for their reggaeton mixes, is super cool about going on an hour later than scheduled, which I’m grateful for.
3am
There’s still a lot of people by the time Byrell the Great comes on. I’m told that people without tickets have been getting turned away since midnight. It was that crowded.
3:30am
Maxwell Vice, known by their DJ name Vice, is the last DJ to go on. I feel bad that their set time was cut short by all the scheduling chaos, but luckily they’re a nightlife legend so powerful that they convince the venue to stay open past 4am.
4:20am
Now we actually have to stop the party. I’m not going to lie, I was so stressed the whole night that I lost track of how many drinks I had—must have been at least seven. I ask the bartender for one more tequila shot.
4:30am
I exit Market Hotel and see the the first rays of sun. I’m confused at first, thinking it’s setting but obviously, it’s rising. I have a few friends who stayed till the end waiting for the Ubers outside and I hug them. They tell me how much fun they had. I realize that as painful as tonight was, I’m very happy.
Queer and trans people had a space where they felt safe and had fun, and in this country, that’s a huge win. These are my people, and this is exactly where I belong.
It’s easy to lose sense of the higher purpose when you focus on all the little details. Queer and trans people had a space where they felt safe and had fun, and in this country, that’s a huge win. These are my people, and this is exactly where I belong.
How to catch the next Whorechata
Where: Market Hotel (1140 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11221)
When: Every two months.
Cost: $15-$30
How to get in: Keep an eye on our Instagram.
The vibe: Chaotic and very queer.
What to wear: Take your regular club fit and make it three times sluttier.