New York’s gay pride weekend parties roundup

Pride weekend is less than 3 weeks away and the various club promotion teams have laid down their card on the table and set in motion the heavy promotional artillery.

By a fortunate coincidence, this year, every party happen one after the other, so we won’t be witnessing any kind of frontal competition which would have typically led to flaming wars and ego trips that was so typical of New York’s club scene from yesteryear.

First up, Desire “a masquerade” opens up the weekend’s festivities. Promoted by Chris Ryan, this event will be held at the magnificent Capitale ballroom. It is a superb venue, rarely used for dance parties, where Junior Vasquez actually held one of his most memorable parties in recent time for Pride 2007. Alyson Calagna and Hector Fonseca will man the wheels of steel for this party which also boasts a $500 cash prize for best costume, sexy dancers from around the world and a mesmerizing light show – all that for a modest $30 price tag at the door. It is by far the most affordable party option of the weekend, and we definitely recommend to check it out. The crowd will be fresh and well rested, and will include a varied mix of people that reaches beyond the core party boy crowd.

Next up is Matinee at Governor’s Island. This event is shaping up to be the most anticipated party of the weekend, because it brings for the first time in New York the wold famous brand of clubbing Matinée, known across Europe for its extravagant affairs patronized by the hottest studs and discerning heteros. In addition, this party will take place outdoors, Saturday evening from 6 PM to 12 PM on Governor’s Island, with the grandiose backdrop of the sun setting over New York’s skyline. Pre-sale tickets are reasonably priced at $44 dollars (almost as much in fees…) – so it definitely looks like a great option to occupy your Saturday while not totally obliterating your ability to attend the parade the next day. The DJ’s are supposed to be huge in Europe, but frankly we don’t know about that, and we don’t really care for this one. Everything else should be absolutely fabulous, with the novelty effect sure to bring out la crème de la crème to this event.

That same night, Peter Rauhofer’s camp will try to reiterate the coup the pulled last year with their still talked about 12 hour dance extravaganza at Roseland. Only last year, they had invited Offer Nissim to headline the event, whose name alone can draw hordes of gays from around the globe. For this year’s Menhattan party at Roseland, the line-up includes Marco Da Silva, Ana Paula, Peter Rauhofer and Stéphane Grondin – some great talent from the Star 69 stable of DJ’s. But starting right after Matinée’s big event the same night, will it be enough to fill up Roseland until noon the next day? You can find out by purchasing your $90 advanced ticket and letting us know via the comments on this blog post…

If you had a good time on Saturday and you’re not satiated yet by Sunday – you can do it all over again! Of course, Sunday is the day of the march, and we highly encourage you to bask in the incredible atmosphere of Christopher Street and the West Village as the marchers reach the end of their journey.

At 4 PM begin the annual Pier Dance festivities. It’s one of our favorite parties in New York, and the proceed benefit Heritage of Pride, the not for profit organization behind New York’s Pride festival. The line up this year includes DJ Steven Oliveri (whom we know nothing about) and the U.K. duo extrordinaire The Freemasons, who will spin their euphoric blend of funky house and stylish grooves on the fabulous setting of Pier 54, by the Hudson River. For us, this is a must do party on our road-map .

But for many in New York, the highlight will be what comes after. The world famous Alegria party takes over the Nokia Theatre in Times Square for a 12 hour dance marathon spearheaded by DJ Pagano from London and Chus & Ceballos from Madrid. We’re a little but torn about the change of venue imposed by the closing of M2 by the city of New York, but with the anticipation building up, there’s a growing chance we’ll end up there after all. Be aware that advanced tickets are $100 after 6/15, though.

And lastly – as usual, comes Junior Vasquez who is throwing his annual post-Pride after-after-party on Monday from 9 AM to 9 PM, although this year the event has been slightly scaled down and will be held at Club Love (which is a great, underground venue, probably better suited for other circumstances). The die hard Junior heads will unmistakeably honor the longstanding tradition that are Junior’s closing Pride parties. The no less legendary New York house music production duo Razor & Guido will be opening for Junior in the morning.

So, there you have it: 4 days, 6 parties, over 50 hours of dancing to duly celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that took place right here on Sheridan Square. As you dance yourself into bliss that, have a thought for the men and women that came before us and who paved the way to make our society a little more accepting of our lifestyle.  Happy Pride!