In a city dominated by bars, clubs and late-night drinking, a group of friends are giving Torontonians an alternative way to party — without the hangover or regrets.
Locals lined up by the hundreds in Liberty Village on Saturday for the third edition of The Coffee Party — a unique and increasingly popular event series that combines coffee and pastries with dancing and music.
Since their inception last November, organizers have been caffeinating guests at a different downtown venue each month and serving their homemade specialty coffee, House Blend.
The “house” theme tied in with the rest of the event as local DJs performed house music to packed crowds of coffee lovers. Attendees — predominantly in their 20s and 30s — were seen dancing with a cup of joe or warm pastry in hand.
Matthew Campoli, one of the five guys behind The Coffee Party, sensed there was a demand for the series as many locals have grown tired of drinking booze and staying out late on the weekends.
“A lot of us are sober and we’re all big music lovers,” he said. “We used to party hard together back in the day. Now, we value early morning wakeups, hitting the gym and making healthy conscious habits versus late nights and not remembering much.”
“We thought, where can they meet new people — besides the gym and run clubs? Where can they enjoy a good time? There’s not much out there. So, we decided to bring an early morning party that’s focused on wellness, community and being sober,” he added.
In the three events they’ve hosted since November, The Coffee Party team has gained a following of more than 9,000 on Instagram and 10,000 on TikTok.
Organizers served a combined 750 attendees at their first two events, and expected at least that many to pass through NODO Liberty for the third gathering on Saturday. The lineup to get into the venue was wrapped around the block when TorontoToday arrived at 12 p.m., while hundreds more were already partying inside.
Alongside his friends and fellow co-founders Jeff Gloria, Zohaib Aziz, Greg Glen and Matty Tsoumaris, Campoli has been blown away by the public’s feedback.
“People are receiving this really well,” he said. “People were saying they have a reason to leave their house now. At this time of year, depression sets in for a lot of people and there’s not many outlets unless you want to hit up the bar scene.”
For $15 at the door, attendees enjoyed unlimited coffee and tea, as well as homemade pastries, cookies, gelato and affogato.
Pastries and gelato were provided by several local vendors and shops, and one baker was even making fresh cookies live at the event.
“We want to be an experience for people and build community,” Campoli said. “We’re not trying to make money — we all have careers. There’s no need to worry about buying more stuff when you’re there. No booths, no VIP, no favouritism — nothing like that.”
Among Saturday’s attendees were Charmaine and Isahe, two friends who were savouring some gelato in one of the seated areas at NODO Liberty.
They arrived 20 minutes before the venue opened its doors and hung out in line for about an hour before they got in — a wait, they said, was well worth it.
“I’m not really much of a nightlife person, so doing things like this during the day is a lot of fun,” Chermaine said. “The gelato is amazing.”
“It’s a great way to mingle and meet new people,” Isahe added. “I’m a big fan of house music too, so it’s been awesome. The pastries are phenomenal too.”
Already receiving messages and requests from venues in other cities, Campoli said The Coffee Party may consider pausing its Toronto appearances temporarily, to spread the festivities “somewhere warmer.”
“There’s going to be a couple months where we may have to pause in Toronto and pop up in other spots,” he said. “But generally, we will be having one a month — whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
“This community is awesome,” he added. “A lot of people need this. It’s been a fun journey so far and we’re all really stoked about it.”
