Step right up you royal ghouls and vamps! We have an extra spooky event coming to NYC this weekend! The Kawaii Society is a POC-run organization dedicated to celebrating Japanese pop culture through hosting fun events in the New York City area. “Halloween in Harajuku” will be a spectacular event, equipped with a Maid Cafe, DJ sets, a fun raffle, vendors with adorable merchandise, and spooky performances! They will have a cosplay contest judged by Avarent Cosplay and LinRei Cosplay so come on in with your best armor and silk. Porclainette and HeirofGlee will be making appearances as the makeup contest judges. And also, the fairest being of all things creepy and cute will be a special guest: YouTube Star, Drew Disaster!
Halloween in Harajuku
I found the intersection of cute clothing and anime conventions about ten years ago when I attended my first anime convention, Otakon. Since then, I have learned that Japanese style and fashion have permeated specific subgroups in the cosplay and nerd scene in a variety of ways. These fans have their own sense of expression, which is exhibited through their wild use of color, fabric, and wigs seen in their wardrobe. I came across one organization which is very into this type of art and has dedicated themselves to spreading Japanese pop culture influence throughout the coast. Halloween in Harajuku is an event presented by The Kawaii Society with dancing, cosplay, and plenty of spooky fun. You won’t want to miss any of this! According to their Facebook Event Page:
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year~♪ Halloween of course! ? Come out and dress in your spookiest fashion, cosplay, and trick or treat at Lovecraft NYC! This time we are doing things a little differently at The Kawaii Society. From 3pm – 9pm is our normal scheduled event, however from 9pm – 12am it’s ghouls hours where we will have a dance party featuring Kenneth Rage, DJ KYON, and DJ Ant-San. Our events are all age friendly but there is a bar available if you are 21+.”
The Lovecraft NYC is located at 50 Avenue B, New York, New York 10009.
If you are in the New York City or New Jersey area, stop by for some fangtastic fun!
For more information, please check out their event page at Fievent: The Kawaii Society’s Halloween in Harajuku. If you have any questions you can message The Kawaii Society’s Facebook page.
The Kawaii Society
To find out more about the event and the people behind it, I sat down with Mochi of The Kawaii Society. Please enjoy. Hope to see you there!
Black Nerd Problems: Please tell us a bit about yourself! What’s your life story so far?
Mochi: My name is Bianca but I also go by Mochi in the anime/gaming/J-fashion community. I’ve been interested in Japanese pop culture since I was a child and attended my first anime convention in 7th grade as a cosplayer. In my teenage years, I started getting more interested in J-fashion, especially Lolita styles from reading FRUiTS, Gothic Lolita Bible, and other publications. I then started participating in maid cafes for anime conventions and joined a J-pop performance group with my friends. Almost 3 years ago, I started my own magical girl inspired fashion and accessory line, Miss Candyholic, and began attending conventions as a vendor. Six months ago, I developed The Kawaii Society, an organization celebrating Japanese pop culture through social media and monthly events in NYC. “Kawaii” means cute in Japanese, but it is much more than that. It is an aesthetic, a culture, and a way of life that has brought me so much joy throughout the years. There are many styles of kawaii and that is the beauty of The Kawaii Society! Our events are 4-6 hours long and showcase live performances, vendors, special guests, and more!
BNP: How did you come up with this spooky affair? What was the motivation?
Mochi: Since most people who attend The Kawaii Society events are interested in harajuku fashion, I thought it was very suitable to name this event Halloween in Harajuku. It also has a nice ring to it!
BNP: Is there any social message behind this event?
Mochi: I wanted to create an environment where people who love kawaii culture have a space to express themselves and be themselves freely. There are not a lot of events like this in NYC besides meetups and I wanted to change that. We serve as a place where like minded individuals can come together, make new friends, and create amazing memories.
BNP: What can we expect to see from The Kawaii Society in the future?
Mochi: Expect to see more events in other states as well as booths at various conventions. We are also working on creating a consignment shop featuring kawaii artists world-wide and creating official TKS clothing and accessory merch!
See more of The Kawaii Society on Instagram, Twitter and on their Facebook page!
Photography Credit: Carole L. Photography (@carolelphotos)
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