Inside a Barbenheimer rave: 'It's like a highschool dance in there'

On Saturday night time inside a warehouse in Bushwick over the thumping bass of home music, blazing lights oscillated between vibrant pink, moody pink, and blinding white. Exterior, the smoking space was crowded with girls in head-to-toe pink and males in gown shirts, with the dedicated few in fedoras and vests. They have been ready in line to take a photograph in a human-sized Barbie field studying “She’s The Bomb!” encased in a pink coronary heart. It was the definitive picture opp at an occasion that calls for to be posted: a Barbenheimer themed rave.  

The Barbenheimer rave assigns all visitors as Barbies, Kens, or Oppies.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

Credit score: Marissa Alper

On Barbenheimer opening weekend, Barbie and Oppenheimer made $162 million and $88.4 million, respectively, on the North American field workplace. Whereas moviegoers poured out of cinemas and memes concerning the movies flooded timelines, a gaggle of devoted followers, social gathering lovers, and people within the novelty of the primary ubiquitous movie launch flocked to Bushwick. For them, simply seeing the movies did not quench the thirst to expertise the cultural second. 

“I used to be on the lookout for a Barbenheimer occasion,” Aura Myers, a 24-year-old who works in a fancy dress store informed me. “I came upon about Barbenheimer like eight months in the past and instantly knew I wished to see each.” Myers noticed Oppenheimer Thursday and Barbie Friday. She came upon concerning the rave on TikTok and arrived in a home made heart-shaped pink corset prime and painted by hand pink boots.

Myers in her handmade heart-shaped pink corset prime together with her two equally-Barbified buddies.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

Barbenheimer started as an web joke concerning the much-anticipated and diametrically opposed movies from boy director Christopher Nolan and woman director Greta Gerwig popping out the identical day (July 21). With individuals craving a common expertise, Barbenheimer was the defining cultural second of the summer time.

As is the case with any good bit, the impulse to push Barbenheimer so far as it will go intensified. It wasn’t sufficient to easily see the movies, argued Twitter. Barbenheimer should be a double characteristic, and you will need to go in costume. Customers hashed out the perfect viewing schedule in detailed quote tweets. If the double characteristic was Barbenheimer’s soccer sport, then the rave was like going to the tailgate: the cherry on prime for these partaking in Barbenheimer, but additionally an occasion in itself for many who wished to be in on the joke even when they weren’t eager to spend 5 hours on the films.

A uncommon Oppie in a sea of Barbies and Kens.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

It was a type of viral Barbenheimer viewing schedules that impressed Alex Fox, Borja Schettini, and Peter Bilski to plan the rave in simply two and a half weeks. The rave was not created by the slick advertising and marketing machine of Barbie, as a substitute the chums opted for a guerrilla TikTok marketing campaign. Firstly of the occasion Schettini, the 22-year-old manufacturing designer of the rave, shared that 780 tickets had been bought. 

For a lot of of these partygoers, phrase of the rave simply materialized on their FYPs, the identical place they probably came upon concerning the Barbenheimer phenomenon within the first place.

“I came upon concerning the occasion on TikTok. About 50 % of the occasions I’m going to I discover out about on there,” Jenny Wong, a 35-year-old information scientist informed me whereas she waited for her flip within the Barbie field. “The hype for this has been constructing for therefore lengthy. Final October one in all my buddies had a Barbie-themed social gathering simply based mostly on leaked images from the film,” she added.

An attendee who took the mix fairly actually.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

The occasion attracted cinephiles and ravers alike, offering a possibility for buddies with completely different concepts of an excellent time to expertise one thing collectively. Jake Sherman and Ryan Robinson have been two such buddies. “I’m extra of a film particular person.” Sherman, a 25-year-old aspiring lawyer, informed me. “I took Barbenheimer critically from the get go and knew I wished to do the double characteristic.” Sherman deliberate a double characteristic for the day after the rave, beginning with Oppenheimer in IMAX at 2:30pm.

In the meantime Robinson, a 25-year-old who works in gross sales, was there for the social gathering. “I’ve no plans to see both film,” he mentioned. Assessing the standard of the occasion, Robinson mentioned, “The lighting is absolutely cool.” He determined to come back as a result of he is “extra of a rave particular person” and lives close by.

An individual stands in the course of the dancefloor, staring off into the gap — probably fascinated with the results of Oppenheimer’s actions.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

Robinson and Sherman each dressed on theme. Robinson wore a pink Carhartt t-shirt and Sherman had on a Ken-inspired getup of a striped short-sleeve gown shirt and pink sun shades. “I’m as Ken as I might be,” defined Sherman. “I did not know the air-con scenario, if I had recognized it was well-air conditioned I’d have worn an Oppenheimer-inspired outfit.”

A fellow Ken, Gordon Fan, had already seen Barbie and Oppenheimer. The 30-year-old trend employee described Oppenheimer as “a headache” and appreciated the nostalgia ushered in by the Barbie film. “I’m a millennial, so I grew up with Barbie in my childhood. There is a re-emergence of childhood occurring proper now. As an alternative of rising out of it, we are able to nonetheless be cool and gown in pink,” mentioned Fan. 

C’mon Barbie, let’s go social gathering.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

The social gathering was not with out its critics. I overheard a person wearing all black, presumably from the Oppenheimer contingent, complain, “it’s like a highschool dance in there.” And he had some extent. The barren warehouse house was adorned with a balloon arch studying “Barbenheimer,” half in pink, half in silver, a handful of silver and pink spike balloons, and pink seashore balls. 

Because the night time progressed, having secured their photo-op, individuals moved away from the Barbie field onto the dance ground. The music — which in response to Schetteni was supposed to begin with “cunty, hyper-pop” and transfer into “Berlin boiler home” over the course of the night time — was interrupted by the sound of individuals popping the balloons on the dance ground including a sure Oppenheimer ambiance. 

The music ranged from “cunty, hyper-pop” to “Berlin boiler home.”
Credit score: Marissa Alper

The home drinks have been equally kitschy. For Oppenheimer, a smoky mezcal-based drink, and for Barbie, a sickly-sweet pink lemonade cocktail.   

Midway by the occasion, giant pink coronary heart formed balloons have been tossed across the crowd permitting for carefree “look how a lot enjoyable I’m having on the dance ground,” images. However the nostalgia for dressing up and group occasions was a part of the appeal. 

A biblically correct cowboy Ken.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

One of many coveted pink heart-shaped balloons.
Credit score: Marissa Alper

Amid the spectacle of the occasion, attendees relished within the novelty earnestly greeting strangers with, “Hello Barbie” once they handed one another and singing alongside to Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie Woman” remix.

There are so few locations to construct group lately that individuals jumped at this chance to bond over Barbenheimer. The widespread meme gave the broad stroke of attendees a shared language. All through the night time I heard the recycled line, “Are you Barbie or Oppenheimer,” repeated time and again, but it surely gave everybody one thing to speak about.