Philly’s reggaeton party for women, Jefatona, will have an exclusive space at Cinco de Mayo festival
“Ever since Delilah started Jefatona and it’s all female, it’s like a relief. You can still party and have fun and feel safe,” said Zuleyka Bonilla, who has attended every Jefatona event since it began in 2023.
Jefatona, a reggaeton and Caribbean party for women, will be hosting its own space at Sunday’s El Movimiento, a Cinco de Mayo event to be held on the waterfront.
The inaugural El Movimiento will be held at Liberty Point and is a collaboration between Love Curators, Wooder Ice, Jefatona, and Crown Hospitality. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite and range from $20 to $60. From noon to 4 p.m., attendees who purchased Jefatona tickets will be allowed access to the private, women-only space.
The space for Jefatona attendees will have the ultimate view of the waterfront and be able to accommodate 250 people. According to its website, Jefatona is “an experience created for women to come together, let loose, and celebrate each other in a safe space.”
“This is something especially for women in Philly, especially for my community.”
Drama and negativity must be checked at the door, and guests are encouraged to shake off the day’s worries to a Tokischa song.
“This is something especially for women in Philly, especially for my community,” said Jefatona founder Delilah Dee. “I grew up in North Philly, so I feel like there’s always this stigma when it comes to women from there … to create this space for women to just feel, you know, celebrated and they feel seen, it’s amazing. And then in this prime real estate area, it just can’t get any better.”
What is a Jefatona?
Dee defines a Jefatona as a successful woman who is OK with embodying the many facets of herself and her culture — a woman who feels liberated and free and not afraid to be judged for their likes or interests.
“I’ve been in corporate, I’ve been in tech, I’ve been in nonprofit spaces, I’ve been in education. I’ve always been a multifaceted woman. That’s who I am,” she said. “You’ll see me with my Jefatona community, dancing and shaking [on] one night. Then you’ll see me like, preaching about God the next day. Then you’ll see me hard at work.”
Women attending Jefatona events, including the one at El Movimiento this weekend, can look forward to a space that is meant for celebrating themselves and other women.
For some women in Philly, it has meant being able to feel safe going out again.
Jefatona superfan Zuleyka Bonilla said she finds it more enjoyable to attend Jefatona events because there’s no male energy or presence, which makes her uncomfortable due to inappropriate touching and advances she and other women have experienced in the club scene.
“I’m an attractive female. When it comes to these [men], they don’t respect you,” she said. “I have to watch out for my girls and make sure nobody’s disrespecting them, nobody’s touching them. … Sometimes we just don’t want to dance with the males. We just want to, you know, have our girl time and just have fun.
“Ever since Delilah started Jefatona and it’s all female, it’s like a relief. You can still party and have fun and feel safe. That’s what she provides for us, a safe zone to twerk, scream, yell, cry, whatever we want.”
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Bonilla, a single mom of two, understands the struggle that a lot of moms in the city experience when it comes to balancing their home and social lives. While her kids are most important, sometimes she just wants to go out and dance to “If It’s Ya Birthday Make Some Noise.”
“I got babies to go home to, and I’m still able to have fun and have a little drink here and there,” she said.
“There’s a lot of moms out there, lots of single moms, who can’t really go out. Me, I don’t really go out no more because of my last experience with males in the building. So when [Delilah] has these events, I’m there. I’m making plans. I got my girls. One time we went with a group of 15 girls.
“We pre-party in my house and then we go there and just enjoy the night and the fact that we can all just, you know, get along and be free.”
A growing community
Jefatona was created in February 2023; the first event was held in March 2023. Dee originally planned for it to be a party series held once a year during Women’s History Month.
“We are growing … it’s not just going to be events,” Dee said.
“There’s going to be a multimedia platform. We’re launching a Jefatona podcast, we have e-commerce … we’re doing professional development. It’s growing into something different.
“Be a part of the movement and growth that’s celebrating women in more ways than one. It’s not just a party, it’s genuinely a community movement that’s growing.”
El Movimiento will be held Sunday at Liberty Point, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. Tickets range from $20 to $60 and can be purchased online on Eventbrite. Jefatona will be held from noon to 4 p.m. as part of El Movimiento, which is rain or shine.