Manhattan, historically the city’s cultural hotbed, has become prohibitively expensive both for artists to live and for organizers to throw parties. In the 70’s through the late 90’s, repurposed former-commercial spaces like Studio 54, The Tunnel, and The Sound Factory became a breeding ground for a diverse array of partygoers from all walks of life. The NY club scene was known as some of the first public spaces for gay and queer partygoers to dance, express themselves, and build community. However, over the past 25 years, New York City has regressed, ceding its central status at the forefront of fashion and music to the European capitals, Milan, Paris, and Berlin.

The reasons for this regression vary, starting in the 90’s with a crackdown on nightlife by the city’s misguided politicians. Enforcement of a 91-year-old cabaret law, a relic of the Prohibition Era, made it illegal for most New York City venues to allow space for dancing, putting venues at risk of heavy fines or the loss of their operating license. The subsequent events of September 11th, the economic destruction of 2008’s financial crisis, and the havoc and instability caused by the recent global health phenomena, have turned a city’s once thriving nightlife scene into a shell of its former self.