This isn’t your ordinary night out. Tucked away in La Fuerza Plaza on Chino Roces, is Manila’s very own Elephant Party (@thatElephantParty) – a kind of party where Manila’s stand-outs come to play every Thursday night.
A party for us
“It’s a party for us,” Elephant Party Co-Host, Super Starlett explains. Starlett, a drag queen who goes by Shahani Gania by day, has been co-hosting this party since it began three years ago. She wanted a space in Manila for people like her—people who appreciate techno music, fashion, and unadulterated expression. “It’s hard to do that in Manila without feeling dismissed or like she sticks out,” she says.
And this is something that’s she’s always tried to do. She tells me that she used to always dress to express. When I asked her about those outfits, I didn’t even find them all too daring—a cool mix of heels with joggers and maybe chunky jewelry for some drama. But not everyone saw her as she saw herself.
On bad days, club bouncers would call her out. She recounts to me the times she’s been kicked out of bars for looking “too flamboyant.” The comments didn’t startle Starlet, though. Looking back at it now, those comments make her chuckle, seeing how they just meant she didn’t “look as basic as them.”
Most times, however, the prejudice would come out much more subtly. “You can see it in their eyes that they don’t understand. They would stare at me, but they wouldn’t want to acknowledge my presence. It makes me feel like the elephant in the room.”
A break from normalcy
Anna and Eric Ong, co-founders of XX XX, the venue of Elephant Party, was at Cubao Expo when the idea first came into their minds. On that eventful day, Anna remembers Shahani walking in, all dressed in drag—a stark contrast and standout against the otherwise laidback Cubao Ex. “I told Eric that I wanted Shahani to be the promoter of our rave night. It was an easy sell to people like Shahani,” she tells me.
“You provided a home for us,” Shahani tells Anna. “When they described the place to us, a place for techno music to thrive a place for a community to get together, it gave us an idea of what we wanted our party to be.” It was important for Anna to create spaces for people like Shahani. Anna explains that she her son is gay, but she didn’t want him to feel like he needed to prove himself.
“There’s nothing you need to scream about. There’s nothing you need to claim. This is your world,” she’d tell him. For her, “[starting Elephant party] wasn’t about sexuality or anything; we don’t want to define anything. We don’t have to explain it.” The Elephant Party meant giving people a break from a normality that usually bites.
A space for raw creative energy
Paul Jatayna, another co-host for the Elephant party, is most excited about the kind of community it fosters. As a designer for OS Accessories who has made custom pieces for the likes of Hungry, Paul is excited about how Elephant Party brings together a new generation of alternative Filipino creatives.
People who attend the Elephant Party are often full-time models, artists, designers, and musicians. It is the latest iteration of NCR party culture that “combines the art community, the music community, and the fashion community.” This makes for a really eclectic concoction of club kids.
Most notably, Elephant Party is not exclusive. So long as you’re into its vibe, you’re welcome. Elephant Party, much like XX XX and 20:20, curates their music selectively, and draws from global techno trends as well as pockets of Manila’s subcultures. “This isn’t a place for Top 40, but for the new, fresh, and unknown,” Paul explains.
He says this openness speaks to the core of Elephant Party’s existence. “We’re in Manila. This is not New York. Only a handful of people will get it. The community is too small. Having a door b*tch check what your outfit is defeats the purpose of opening this space up.”
“Admittedly, business-wise it’s not the best night,” Anna admits. Before Elephant Party, these subcultures emerged in places like Today x Future (TxF), Fluxxe and Hotdog. While TxF is still thriving in Cubao, Fluxxe and Hotdog have since closed down. “But I can’t have a club that’s all about money,” Anna continues. “As long as we’re not losing money, then let’s do it.”
Anna, Eric, Paul, and Shahani have really put something special together for Thursday nights— a safe space for experimentation, music, art, fashion, and so much more. Come experience for yourself. Check out the vibe. Elephant Party is open to anyone as long as you are.
For updates on the Elephant Party, you may follow them on Instagram.
20:20 and XX XX also host monthly night fair, Circus XX XX, as well as concerts featuring international artists such as TOKiMONSTA, Giraffage, artists from Soulection, and more.
Photos by Nikki Bonuel
