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Old Jan 2, 2019, 10:38 am
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carlosdca
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,637
Originally Posted by downinit
I've only gone out to clubs in NY a couple times, so I really do not know anything about the current scene. I would imagine that it is faltering and dying a slow death due to Grindr/etc just like in the rest of the world.
The gay club scene is still thriving in many cities around the world.
The only country I have seen a dying gay club scene is the US.

Some comments on NY Pride:
IMO, how good a party is in NY depends largely on the VENUE.

I have been to several Alegria parties and it was hands down my favorite party anywhere in the world.
Of course, this was when Alegria was held at the old Crobar on 28th Street. This venue was a proper "club" venue (not a makeshift club out of a sound stage or warehouse), you went down the stairs to the small bar, then through the infamous tunnel to the main bar and dance floor which was a sea of shirtless men wall to wall all dancing energetically. There was usually a performance past 4AM which also marked the transition to harder house/vocals and kept people dancing past 7AM.
Alegria then moved to Webster Hall which just failed to have the same energy of 28th street. I think it has moved to various locations since then and I stopped going.
This year, Alegria Pride will be held in Brooklyn. I am not sure if you will find any review online, but if the review is not about Alegria at this venue in Brooklyn, the review will not be applicable.
So, it can be hit or miss. Go and come back and tell us how it went.

The other traditional NY Pride event is the "Dance on the Pier" on Sunday evening, now called "Pride Island". This is is the party where they have a surprise performance towards the end of the night. Some years they have had *A list artists (Cher, Whitney, Janet, Ariana Grande, etc) but some years not so much. It used to be that you only knew the performer name as she/he walked onto the stage (Can you imagine the scream of thousand of queens when Whitney walked in?) but I think recently names are leaked beforehand. After the performance, there were fireworks and then off to the hotel to get ready for Alegria.
I am not a fan of the Dance on the Pier just because it got too crowded and difficult to move around. The stage was in the middle of the long pier so unless you were right in the front of the stage, it was difficult to see the performance.

In general, for me, Sunday was the day to go out and do everything.
Saturday parties were always the wild card and there is not a traditional Saturday party. Different promoters have had different parties through out the years.
Masterbeat seems the biggest Saturday party this year but it is unclear where it is going to be held.
It is the "official" party so that's where most people wanting to party on Saturday will go.

This is my advice:
It is a long and hectic weekend.
If you party hard on Saturday night, you won't have energy to go the March on Sunday.
If you go the Dance on the Pier (Pride Island), you might be burnt out by the time Alegria comes.
The March on Sunday morning is very crowded and they close off several streets (especially in the Village) and it is difficult to get around.
Pace yourself and don't over do it. Have comfortable shoes and have a blast!

Most of the clubs and bars in Manhattan used to be on the west side and for good or bad, that part of town has gentrified at a very rapid pace, so all the nightlife that existed there is gone giving way to restaurants, million dollar condos and/or expensive bars with no dance floor (dance floors don't make money, tables do). Promoters scramble to find a suitable venue for parties during pride weekend. Hence, the parties in Brooklyn. Unfortunately Brooklyn is not Manhattan and is not that easy to get to (the nice parts of Brooklyn are a relatively easy commute but the parties are usually at warehouses in the middle of nowhere; Brooklyn is HUGE).
In the case of Manhattan, I don't think that Grindr or Scruff killed the nightlife (both straight and gay) but instead the expensive real estate did.

Last edited by carlosdca; Jan 2, 2019 at 10:57 am
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