WHERE TO POP OFF FOR PRIDE IN NEW YORK
A quick guide to this weekend's fab festivities
I want to take stock of all the Pride parties that are happening in New York this weekend, because it really is incredible, in the end, how hard New York nightlife is roaring back right now!
I’m talking about parties like Unter and Papi Juice selling out in less than ten minutes; techno-fetish party Bound at Le Bain getting thousands of RSVPs; lines down the block for techno bar Bossa Nova Civic Club at 10:30pm on a THURSDAY; so many cute queer club kids hanging on the Myrtle-Broadway intersection at 2am on the weekends that it may as well be a street party.
Amidst these riotous festivities, we need to hold space for everyone who is feeling left out or unable to join the party—because they can’t afford or access tickets, or just don’t feel ready to leap into the fray. Earlier this week, I tweeted about something I called “dancefloor dysphoria”—an unsettling feeling of anxiety, alienation, and emptiness as you party in a packed club surrounded by a sea of smiling party people.
I wrote some initial thoughts on this phenomenon in today’s subscriber edition—and will be dropping a longer essay on dancefloor dysphoria behind the paywall soon. So if you’d like to continue this conversation but are still hanging on to the lowly freebie tier, maybe it’s time to do what you gotta do!
Here’s a roundup of where the party is at this weekend—I’ve made sure all these events still have tickets up for sale. See you on the dancefloor babes <3
~FRIDAY~
DRAG MARCH
Drag March is the unofficial and much kookier cousin to the official Pride march—and it’s happening this year off the books, which means it’s word-of-mouth for the real queens only henny (that’s the way we like it)! March starts around 7pm at Tompkins Square Park and I’ll probably be live tweeting the lewks lol. Don’t forget your wig!
There WILL be kink at Pride, and it will be found at the wild return of Bound—New York’s hottest fetish-techno party. This (free) edition at Le Bain is starring the live musical debut of my girl Signe Pierce, a performance artist who calls herself the dominatrix of the simulatrix… bow down, bitches.
Lauren Flax and Mike Servito are two iconic DJs who’ve been slaying the hometown scene and international circuit for far longer than most of the new Bushwick gorls have been raving. They’re headlining this debut party from a new promoter / big stoner called NY SocialBee (aka Terence Edgerson)—so you know it’s gonna be one of the heads.
~SATURDAY~
A super cute party with a stellar lineup, thrown by the heads, for the heads—my rave sources tell me that Psychic is a legendary party that started way back in the day, and now they’re back! Tickets are only $20 and they didn’t sell out instantly. It almost seems like a mirage, considering how many other parties are impossible/such a headache to get into this weekend. This is where the underground cuties will be heading on Saturday—see you there!
Our gay daddies Carry Nation and Wrecked are reuniting for a day party at Knockdown Center, one of the vibiest venues in New York. If you’re looking for soulful house and disco outside in the daylight (I know I am!)—this is where the poppers-scented healing is happening.
LADYFAG PRESENTS: A PRIDE WEEKEND WITH HONEY DIJON
This is one of THREE parties that Ladyfag is throwing this weekend with the legendary Honey Dijon—IDK how these girls do it, but they are nightlife veterans after all. Friday and Saturday’s blowouts are both at Brooklyn Steel (Saturday features very cute support from Jacob Meehan of Buttons in Berlin and Olive T!), while Sundays’ final hurrah is the longstanding party Battle Hymn (aka gay church) with residents Michael Magnan and Eli Escobar. Choose your own adventure—or just ride the party train all weekend.
Telfar and Joey LaBeija are headlining the return of Papi Juice—so you already know this is where the kuntiest club kid lewks are storming! I love Papi Juice for their warm and caring approach to nightlife (for example, take their thoughtful response to the current demand surge)—a vibe that carries into their dancefloors. If you manage to get tickets to the daytime party, which still seem available online, this scene will be beautiful.
~SUNDAY~
Sometimes I feel like you need a dancefloor to run for at least 12 hours before the real weirdness starts to unfold… so I’m excited to return to the plant-filled womb of Nowadays, where this 48-hour party starts on Saturday and runs through Sunday—just like the good old days. The lineup is giving queer excellence via the likes of Pittsburgh’s Honcho, Tygapaw, Ariel Zetina, and Russell EL Butler—and there’s an incredible outdoor backyard for your daytime blunt moments too.
The most recent Club Carry and New World Dysorder parties I’ve been to over the last week have been soooo cute… this is the new queer vanguard of Bushwick and I’m living for it. The two crews are teaming up for a Sunday Pride at Bossa moment—skip the corporate gay parade and hit this after the Queer Liberation March!
If I’m still standing at the end of the weekend, the Elsewhere rooftop is where I’ll hopefully be winding down Sunday after the march, at this cute daytime function hosted by Loveless Records, a local label run by my homie + scene stalwart Gooddroid.