Alegria’s Pride & Glory

///BY Mark A. Thompson ///Phot by Mrny

Anyone who cheered and whistled at last year’s Alegria Pride at Webster Hall recognized immediately that they were witnessing one of the most extravagant production numbers in the history of circuit parties .  For his “Carnaval Carioca,” Alegria producer Ric Sena utilized every inch of Webster Hall’s historic stage with its magnificent proscenium to create a Carnaval float and parade to rival any celebration in Rio.

For more than a decade, Alegria has dominated New York LGBT nightlife with its marathon events that are equal parts theatrical production, dance music summits and family reunions, all fortified with a serious dose of incomparable male beauty.

It was in June 2000 that producer Ric Sena brought Alegria to New York for the first time, and since then, Alegria has become a nocturnal juggernaut that has served as a benchmark of excellence for circuit events around the world. For many globetrotting party people, Alegria events are marked by their superlative production values, the hottest go-go dancing musclemen and sheer hedonistic joy. As a theatrical producer in Brazil, Sena produced sold-out runs of Brazil’s equivalent to off-Broadway shows that toured Brazil’s major cities. For his New York parties, Sena has often utilized elements of his theatrical background to ensure that Alegria events are the equivalent of Las Vegas spectacles or Broadway entertainment.

It might be a challenge for some gay New Yorkers to tell you the longest-running Broadway show, but what about the longest-running gay party? Few groups of party people are as cohesive as the extended Alegria family, and when they converge and coalesce, the sense of unity is palpable – and ultimately, inspiring.

At Alegria, it has always been about the music: the music that fuels the magic. Throughout Alegria’s long run, numerous DJs have played their interpretations of what has become known as the “Alegria sound.”

For this month’s upcoming Alegria Pride event at Webster Hall, Sena has secured a holy trinity of deejays, which includes Roland Belmares, Alegria resident Renato Cecin of Brazil, and playing Alegria Pride for the first time, New York’s incomparable favorite son, Boris.

Alegria has outlasted the most sacrosanct of New York clubs, and Sena continues to burnish Alegria’s reputation with his masterful touch, creating jawdropping, mesmerizing theatrical environments for all-night events that showcase the lights, lasers and sounds of a stable of musical and technical geniuses, as well as the fiercely loyal Alegria family.

There’s no use denying the sexual energy of an Alegria event. It’s the music; it’s the men; it’s the joy of abandon within the sanctity of a special place.

Alegria: It’s a legend in the making, happening now.

Sunday, June 30 at Webster Hall
Advanc e tickets ava ilable for $100
at alegriaevents.com