Avalon
634 Avenue of the America
New York, NY 10011
Avalon is the latest incarnation of the infamous Episcopalian church turned nightclub that was once home to the legendary Limelight. This world famous 12,000-square-foot dance palace has been in the forefront of the 90's club scene and was home to the wild and colorful club kid movement spearheaded by the iconic party promoter Michael Alig. Back in its heyday, the Limelight was the playground of Micheal Alig and his click of gender bending creatures, throwing the craziest and wildest parties of that era. This notoriously famous chapter of the New York social life has been documented and portrayed in several books ("Disco Bloodbath", "Clubland") and a movie ("Party Monster") telling the tales of that outrageous era.
In the recent years, the legendary establishment had lost most the glory of its precedent incarnation. Entirely renovated in the early years 2000, it reopened under the name Avalon, and was home to various house and hip-hop parties, but never quite found its mark again on the club scene. John Blair did host his gay parties targeted at the younger generation on Sunday nights for a few years, until the place got raided one last time by the NYPD in October 2006, prompting a closure that lead the owner of the building to finally give up on the nightclub business altogether.
The venerable church was then promised to be turned into a shopping mall and become home to a new H&M store. What a pitiful ending to such a hollowed ground of the history of New York's nightlife, succumbing to the relentless evil forces of unabashed consumerism. But in yet another twist of faith, it turned out that the landmark status of the building made it practically impossible to do the sacrilegious construction work necessary to make it into the shopping palace it was supposed to become.
Meanwhile, another legendary institution of the New York nightlife was biting the dust in Chelsea: the Roxy had thrown its final party and was closing its doors to be razed down and make room for real estate developments.
Nightlife mogul John Blair seized the opportunity to re-launch its gay Saturday night party, and two weeks after Roxy's "Last Dance", Avalon was again the new epicenter of club world. Saturdays at Avalon aims to redefine what gay nightlife is all about in New York, representing its full diversity which extends beyond the stereotypical Chelsea lifestyle that was intrinsically associated with the defunct Roxy. The main room is dedicated to house music, spun by a roster of high profile dance music producers as well as newcomers on the circuit. A colorful click of East Village denizens including Cazwell, Ericka Toure Aviance, Amanda Lepore and Michael Formika Jones host the party in the Chapel, with DJs spinning a blend of pop, rock and electro tunes. In the Spider Room, Alan Picus throws its college boy party for the kids and the twinks, with a mix of pop and hip-hop, and a bunch of horny go-go dancers their sweaty jockstraps in the face of the happy revelers.
The rebirth of Avalon is a heartwarming consolation in the wake of the demise of the Roxy, and we are excited to see New York's gay nightlife reinventing itself once again, paving the way for new trends and life styles.
