K-POPPER’S PARADISE Polilya caters to fans from the Hallyu scene with drinks named after K-Pop hits (Polilya/Facebook)
By Iane Macasieb Chingus! Turn your Wednesday night into a blissful K-pop night out like it’s the end of the week. If you’re looking for K-pop music while wanting to have a drink and unwind or just vibe out mid-week, the perfect destination for you is Polilya. Located in Poblacion, Makati, Polilya serves up a K-pop type of vibe as they turn up hit K-pop songs every Wednesday night, where the crowd can show off their moves or sing their fangirl/boys' heart out. Polilya is commonly known to K-pop stans as the only spot that made the idea of a “K-Pob” (Korean Pop in Poblacion) night theme in the Philippines come to life. On Wednesday night recently, New Jeans Philippines, the Filipino fanbase of the rising K-pop girl group, New Jeans, held one of the highly anticipated K-pop night events. Party-goers headed off to Polilya as they punched out from either work or school to blow off some steam and have a fun night. As the clock hit 10:30 p.m., the DJ played non-stop songs of New Jeans, and everyone just automatically hit the dance floor, especially when New Jean’s popular song “OMG” was turned up. First-time K-Pob attendee marketing analyst Michael Montejar shares their experience on their first K-Pob night out. “We are looking forward to more K-Pob nights to support the *Hallyu* community,” he says. The K-Pob night every Wednesday was one of the new events they eventually held when they reopened last year and it has been going on for six months. A mix of the Wednesday crowd (young, young at heart, college, senior high students, and foreigners) starts coming to the bar at around 10 p.m. Although it might seem to be a pub for fans, everyone is welcome to have fun, whether you are a K-pop fan or just a listener, or even if you are one of the people who have no interest in anything *Hallyu.* Some of the drinks are also named after each K-pop hit song such as “Love Shot,” “OMG,” and “Pink Venom.” Also on offer are new K-Pob drinks called Drunk In You, Borahae Booze, and Soju Nice. *Hallyu* enthusiast and a member of the P-pop group Daydream Kiara Dario serves as the event host every Wednesday night. “It’s always super fun every Wednesday, like, I keep thinking, 'Wow it's not going to get bigger than this,' and then every week proves me wrong,” she says. “We’re the only weekly K-pop night in the metro and we’ve been doing this since November 2022.” With the immense value in promoting a vibrant celebration of Korean pop music and fashion, this K-Pob night will surely bring K-music enthusiasts, fashion influencers, and K-pop dancers to jive and have fun together on a mid-week.