Where Did The Party Go?

by Diego Rico
April 25, 2009

A posse of young men cross the river along the bridge on foot with full intentions of quenching their thirst with a drink prohibited to them in their own country. The band of fearless amigos are wild rebels from the north, bent on tasting the infamous and illegal cerveza they cannot enjoy in the comfort of their own city.

The preceding scene would be one that occurred several times a week around 6 months ago. It’s no mystery that the typical hotheaded El Paso teen knew about the freedoms Mexico offered in concerns to drinking. Whether or not their actions were good or bad are irrelevant. The truth was, and to some extent still remains, that Juárez drew a sizable amount of young adults under 21 to our bordering neighbor to unreservedly enjoy a drink.

After a year into the troubling and intense drug war, that same sect of the population whom looked across the border for alcoholic drinks is now left to find other choices. Those alternatives have led to effects that impact the El Paso and Juárez nightlife.

The grizzly stories of warring drug cartels have led to a drastic decrease in tourism for Juárez, especially in the amount of money restaurants and clubs pooled into the city’s economy amid the civil unrest. The opinion over the fear of Juárez has angered some Mexican nationals, claiming that the media has sensationalized an otherwise pleasant Mexican city. Whether or not the decrease in night life activity is due to exaggerating news or true violent civil unrest still leaves the fact of the matter truly noticeable—many people have avoided Juárez.

As a result, many restaurants and clubs have had to find new ways to survive. Many restaurants and clubs have already made the transition to El Paso, including Maria Chuchena, a restaurant, News, a night club, and Leprechauns, a bar; all enterprises that grew in popularity across the border. Having these great social places coming over will create a notable influx in El Paso’s nightlife, if it already hasn’t begun.

Octavio Gomez, owner of the Vanilla and 1914 nightclubs located in downtown’s developing Union Plaza, as well as the new Crave restaurant on Cincinnati, spoke about the changes he has seen in our city’s social scene. “You’re seeing different things in El Paso. Not only is the music different, but the way people dress has changed.” With the incoming of businesses that focus on offering unique Mexican trends, such as food, music, and clubs, El Paso’s downtown has truly seen a growing level of sophistication, extended Gomez.

Octavio Gomez was one of those El Paso teenagers who went to Juárez to visit clubs and bars. One of the more popular during his time was the La Serata. When asked about his motivation to open his clubs during a time when the El Paso downtown was still a quiet and dull area, Gomez answered that it came from his desire to see a lively and exciting night life come to existence in El Paso. During the past year Gomez expresses that there is an overall increase in activity downtown. He cites that not only is there an increase in attendance from young adults, but also an increase in the amount of Mexican-oriented businesses and Mexican businessmen who have arrived in attempts to continue the success their enterprises experienced in Juárez.

Unfortunately, the tragedies that have plagued Juárez have become opportunities for businesses trying to draw a crowd during the later hours of a weekend evening. Octavio Gomez mentions the fact that his advertisement and marketing plan has relatively stayed the same, but business activity level has increased, warranting the possibility that the fear shadowing Juárez violence has led to an increase in economic development for El Paso.

The streets of Juárez remain quiet and tranquil, in startling contrast to a year ago when cars would line across the busy club area from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am; the club area where parents would drop off their teenagers to inspect the hype over the latest new club. It could be that the drop in Juárez nightlife activity is only a temporary slump. Yet, when clubs and businesses begin testing the grounds for success in El Paso, it might be that the grass will be proven greener on the north side of our border community, in regards to security and wealth.

El Paso is growing in size and in unison the demand for higher-end entertainment is rising. The city has a sizable group of young teenagers and adults who are looking for night clubs and restaurants—the supply is already on the move to meet the demand. El Paso could become the home of disenfranchised businessmen and women leaving Juárez searching for success. It just might turn out in five years that Juárez will be craving the lucrative night life in El Paso.

Many things are still uncertain. How long will the violence in Mexico continue? Has the violence dwindled? Has it dwindled enough? This is just another battle, one involving the intricacies of politics and economics… one in which the prized possession will be the vibe of social clubs, restaurants, and the nightlife bustle.

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Diego Rico

Rico is a junior Finance and Accounting major at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is the Vice President of the Regional Economic Development Association and the President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization. He plans to work in investment banking with an international focus. He is a sky diving enthusiast.