Eventbrite and Antoni Porowski Host First Mind-Melting Cheese Rave in New York City

Get your gouda groove on! Eventbrite and Antoni Porowski’s cheesy rave paired of music, dancing, and delicious dairy delights for a truly legen-dairy experience!

The theme was cheesy and the puns were everywhere as we entered the realm of the first Cheese Rave. Hosted in New York City‘s Bushwick neighborhood by Eventbrite, it was the brainchild of television and culinary personality Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye fame. This is all part of Eventbrite’s “It-Lists” which are curated experience lists for various cities. Antoni has curated It-Lists for NYC and DC.

“Cheese and electronic music might seem like an odd pairing — and it is! But they both inspire passion and sensory joy,” said Porowski. “This is exactly what makes Eventbrite special — it’s where your different interests can coexist and even enhance each other, no matter how unique or odd.”

While we may have entered the space a bit skeptical of the theme, any concerns quickly melted away as cheesy bits were presented throughout the event. Some were figurative and thematic, like a neon sign reading, “DANCE ‘TIL THE WORLD MELTS.” But others were somewhat more literal, like when a shady looking character secretly slipped us tiny baggies… filled with cheese bits!

After getting familiar with the general event layout, we went into the “cheese cage” for some time with the cheesemongers.

Inside the cheese cage, patrons could saddle up to the counter and select cheeses to taste from people dubbed cheesemongers. To do this, we could either check boxes on a card or simply choose from the cheeses on hand. Some of the checkbox options included, “Funky,” “Adventurous,” “Smooth,” and “Spicy.”

Cheese selections were served with additional accouterments like cornichons, dried apricots, and crackers, making the tasting a complete experience on its own. And inside the cheese cage were signs touting the benefits of combining cheese and music. One sign read, “GET THOSE GOUDA VIBES. Looking for a little euphoria? Cheese contains a protein called casein that’s known to trigger dopamine, the feel-good hormone.” Who knew?!?

The cheese themes were not limited to the cheese cage or the tastings. They were literally everywhere.

Entering the event, my skepticism wasn’t that a cheese tasting and an accompanying rave wouldn’t be enjoyable — it was that the two were going to feel so separate. But organizers really leaned into the theme and embraced it at every level. There were dancers dressed in various cheese-themed outfits. There were event flyers describing cheesy things designed in the style of retro-classic rave flyers. The DJ booth looked like swiss cheese and the psychedelic visuals on the screen behind the DJ were, well, literally cheesy!

One of the most unexpected instances of cheese being integrated into the event was at the bar. There was a small selection of beer, wine, and mocktails; each had cheese included with the drink. My friend’s wine came with a garnish of cornichon and Babybel wheel.

And my beer? It had an American cheese single draped over the rim of the cup. I generally wouldn’t bother to eat an American cheese single, but I was rewarded when I dipped it in my beer and consumed. It was pleasantly interesting!

All of this brought me to the conclusion that if raves can have themes like outer space, why not cheese?!

All this talk about cheese and themes, but what about the music and dancing?

Wandering between the dancefloor and the cheese cage, we never really stopped bopping and moving. The music and the rave were definitely not an afterthought. DJs spun through a litany of classics that kept the energy high and the crowd grooving.

The dancefloor was setup perfectly, the lighting was just right for the crowd and energy level, and the DJs all understood the assignment. The crowd was quite varied, especially in age, with generations X, Y, and Z all strongly represented. Regardless, all danced with abandon and enjoyed this wildly weird event together.

During a brief presentation from Antoni himself, he described his motivation to create this event as one that would be “insanely quirky and weird in the best possible way.” Well, if that was the goal, he and the team absolutely nailed it. We hope there will be others in the future.

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