Coffeehouse (event)
Encyclopedia
A Coffeehouse is a social
event, often held to raise funds for and/or generate awareness
of a social cause or other event.
The name "Coffeehouse" is derived from the limited menu which is typically available at the social event: coffee
is usually the featured beverage, together with other non-alcoholic beverages such as soda
, juice and tea
. Desserts and snack foods may round out the menu.
Folk music
and other accoustic concerts are the primary activity at many coffee houses. Other coffeehouses allow patrons to sing, dance, read poetry, perform stand-up comedy, or demonstrate other talents as entertainment during the event. Still other coffeehouses feature lectures and presentations to raise awareness about social issues such as political oppression, food / freshwater
shortages, and/or outbreaks of disease
in various countries. Some coffeehouses may facilitate other activities such as a mass letter writing campaign or signing petitions.
Some coffeehouses have free admission, but others require a small entrance fee. If money is collected as an entrance fee, it is often donated in whole or in part to the social cause, after covering expenses.
"Coffeehouses" are often sponsored by a permanent, semi-commerical coffeehouse
venue, such as the well-known Club Passim
and Caffe Lena
. Churches, non-profits, school groups, and other private groups also sponsor coffee houses in church meeting rooms, college
s, and high school
s. In particular, schools often sponsor coffeehouses to allow students to socialize in an explicitly non-alcoholic environment.
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
event, often held to raise funds for and/or generate awareness
Awareness
Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
of a social cause or other event.
The name "Coffeehouse" is derived from the limited menu which is typically available at the social event: coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
is usually the featured beverage, together with other non-alcoholic beverages such as soda
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
, juice and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. Desserts and snack foods may round out the menu.
Folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and other accoustic concerts are the primary activity at many coffee houses. Other coffeehouses allow patrons to sing, dance, read poetry, perform stand-up comedy, or demonstrate other talents as entertainment during the event. Still other coffeehouses feature lectures and presentations to raise awareness about social issues such as political oppression, food / freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
shortages, and/or outbreaks of disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
in various countries. Some coffeehouses may facilitate other activities such as a mass letter writing campaign or signing petitions.
Some coffeehouses have free admission, but others require a small entrance fee. If money is collected as an entrance fee, it is often donated in whole or in part to the social cause, after covering expenses.
"Coffeehouses" are often sponsored by a permanent, semi-commerical coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
venue, such as the well-known Club Passim
Club Passim
Club Passim is a folk music club in the Harvard Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was opened by Joyce Kalina and Paula Kelley in 1958, when it was known as Club 47 , and changed its name to simply Passim in 1969...
and Caffe Lena
Caffè Lena
Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, Caffè Lena is the oldest continually running coffee house in the United States. Founded in 1960 by Bill and Lena Spencer, it features acoustic concerts and cultural events showcasing folk music, traditional music, and singer-songwriters of a wide range...
. Churches, non-profits, school groups, and other private groups also sponsor coffee houses in church meeting rooms, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s. In particular, schools often sponsor coffeehouses to allow students to socialize in an explicitly non-alcoholic environment.
See also
- English coffeehouses in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuriesEnglish coffeehouses in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuriesHistorians define English coffeehouses as public social houses during the 17th and 18th centuries, in which patrons would assemble for conversation and social interaction, while taking part in newly emerging coffee consumption habits for the time. Travellers introduced coffee as a beverage to...
- Fika
- TertuliaTertuliaA tertulia is a social gathering with literary or artistic overtones, especially in Iberia or Latin America. The word is originally Spanish, and has only moderate currency in English, in describing Latin cultural contexts....
- Salon (gathering)Salon (gathering)A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
- Social centerSocial centerSocial centers are community spaces. They are buildings which are used for a range of disparate activities, which can be linked only by virtue of being not-for-profit. They might be organizing centers for local activities or they might provide support networks for minority groups such as prisoners...
- Viennese Coffee House
- StammtischStammtischA Stammtisch is a scheduled informal meeting group at a specially reserved table in a beer hall or other establishment in German-speaking Europe, which can be held on a weekly or monthly basis...
External links
- Boston Area Coffeehouse Association (BACHA)
- Club Passim official website
- Caffe Lena official website
- The University of the Streets Cafés, from Concordia University, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...