If anyone was having more fun than the folks at the silent disco at Astor Place on July 30, they were probably doing something we can’t publish here.
Sponsored by the Village Alliance and run by Quiet Events, about a thousand people — not all at once — made their way into the enclosed area near the cube to dance (and occasionally sing) while wearing headphones tuned to one of the three DJ channels being broadcast to the crowd by DJ LP, Trey Nice and DJ Lightning.
Participants had the choice to listen to any of the three options at any moment, so one person could be grooving to LP’s mix of Top 40, EDM and Pop, another with Lightning playing pre-2000 throwbacks of Classic Rock or Trey Nice’s blend of Hip-Hop, Reggae and Latin beats.
There were times when the silence was broken by much of the crowd singing along to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”, Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA” or Lady Gaga’s “Rain on Me”, which in fact it did, ending the party earlier in the evening than planned.
When DJ LP, who got involved with Quiet Events five years ago, first heard about the silent disco she thought, “This is crazy, I have to get involved!” She estimates that there were over 500 people at one time at this one and she totally enjoyed the crowd.
“I frequent the East Village,” said the West Village resident. “To take over Astor Place in the middle of a summer day was a blast … there were so many different kinds of people, including some families. I loved it.”
Rachel Brandon of the Village Alliance was pleased with everything but the rain.
“Our main goal is to provide free community events,” she explained. “This was the first silent disco since the COVID lockdown and we were looking to bring some magic back into New York. It was an opportunity to bring some joy to the neighborhood.”
Mission accomplished, one could conclude, judging from the sea of happy faces. Luckily, it’s not the last time the neighborhood will get to tune in and dance.
“We will definitely be back next year!” Brandon vowed.
Upcoming Village Alliance happenings are listed at greenwichvillage.nyc/events and there is more info about Quiet Events at quietevents.com.
