Copyright The Mercury News
It was Halloween night, and one of the busiest nightlife destinations in the Bay Area was … a grocery store? The Daly City location of Seafood City, a Filipino grocery store chain, had a line of costumed visitors out the door that night during its “Late-Night Madness,” pop-up event series, during which the store is open until midnight while DJs perform. The events, which have been publicized widely on social media, began in Daly City in September as a fun way to launch the start of the store’s new street food program, according to Patricia Francisco, the Seafood City’s head of digital marketing and events. They built a menu for the event, including signature pandesal sliders and Filipino nachos, Francisco said. Given that the Bay Area is home to a number of talented Filipino musicians and artists, and the shop itself tended to draw a younger crowd, she wanted to try creating a night market atmosphere at the event — with high-energy entertainment to match, she said. That’s when she found and booked JP Breganza, a Filipino DJ who grew up in Vallejo. Breganza enthusiastically took to the assignment, working to develop a set that would be fun for four generations of Filipino Americans, plus the people working at the grocery store during its extended hours. He wanted to evoke the celebratory atmosphere of the Filipino house parties he grew up attending, he said. He drove about two and a half hours and brought his own sound equipment and cameras to the event to match his vision. But the community brought something, too: energy, joy, and plenty of dance moves. Videos of the September event went viral, and soon the pop-up party was in demand at other Seafood City locations. “This can’t just be a one-time thing,” Francisco recalled thinking. “Late Night Madness,” as the series became known, has since been hosted in Los Angeles, Seattle, Las Vegas and Eagle Rock. Throughout October, Filipino American Heritage Month, Daly City became a hub for the events, with two over Halloween weekend. Breganza, who performed a set on Halloween, said he was glad to “give back with great music” from across the generations, from Filipino disco favorites to contemporary hits. The popularity of an all-ages, alcohol-free, brightly lit event like this may speak to a trend that Eventbrite describes as “soft clubbing.” The shift, driven by Gen Z, blends music, community and a more wellness-oriented approach to social gatherings. The event organizing website reported seeing a 92% increase in sober-curious gatherings and a nearly 500% uptick in clubbing events and daytime dance parties at coffee shops in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024. On Halloween, visitors of all ages appeared to be having a blast. Yvette Gica, who grew up in the area, said she was there to celebrate the last weekend of Filipino Heritage Month, and that it was nice “seeing kids out having good time.” San Francisco resident Kevin Lu said he was happy to see people out clubbing in a healthy way. “It’s better than alcohol,” he said. On the dance floor were friends Maree Iligan and Adrielle Cailipan. Iligan had trekked out to Daly City from Pittsburg to join in the fun, and they’d enjoyed the novelty of dancing in the pork section. “I’m having the time of my life,” she said. “It’s distinctly Filipino. Food is what draws people in — always. It’s the heart of our community,” Cailipan said. The food was also a draw for attendee Sim Delegencia, who compared the event to Foodieland, a pop-up, traveling, multicultural night market — “but less expensive.” This was the third time he’d attended. A number of attendees expressed a sense of Filipino pride at the event, while the beats on the dance floor — carved out amid food stalls and aisles of groceries — held others in its thrall. “Who else could party in a Seafood City?” asked attendee Eric Long.
