///PHOTOS BY: RICHARD BURROWS
VIVA SATURDAYS HAS TAKEN MANHATTAN BY STORM SINCE LAUNCHING IN SPRING LAST YEAR. STAGE 48, A COLOSSAL HELL’S KITCHEN VENUE (605 W. 48TH STREET), IS HOME TO THE BIGGEST WEEKLY GAY PARTY IN NEW YORK CITY, WHERE VIVA BRINGS TOGETHER WELL-KNOWN DJS, PORN STAR DANCERS AND THOUSANDS OF MEN DANCING ON ONE OF SEVERAL PACKED DANCE FLOORS OR MINGLING IN THE MORE INTIMATE SPACES SPREAD OVER MULTIPLE LEVELS.
THE MEN BEHIND VIVA ARE VIRTUALLY SYNONYMOUS WITH NEW YORK GAY NIGHTLIFE, SO IT’S NO SURPRISE IT DOMINATES ON THE WEEK’S BIGGEST PARTY NIGHT. ALEGRIA PRODUCER RIC SENA TEAMED UP WITH JOHN BLAIR AND BETO SUTTER OF ROXY, SPLASH AND XL FAME, ALONG WITH BOI PARTY’S ALAN PICUS AND JUSTIN LUKE, COMBINING THEIR EFFORTS IN A GAY DREAM TEAM TO PRODUCE AND PROMOTE VIVA, QUICKLY LAUNCHING THE PARTY INTO LEGENDARY STATUS NOT SEEN HERE SINCE THE ROXY DAYS.
WE GOT A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK FROM SENA ABOUT HE AND THE TEAM HAVE MANAGED TO BRING THE CIRCUIT PARTY VIBE TO A WEEKLY EVENT AND PACK THE HO– USE WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT.
What makes VIVA unique among weekly gay parties in New York?
Aside from being the only allgay dance party at a large venue for Saturday nights in New York, VIVA brings the circuit party feel to a weekly event.
How did the idea for VIVA all come together?
The name says it all! VIVA is a celebration of all things good in our community and in nightlife. We wanted a party where everybody would feel equal and welcomed and where all sides of our community, from the circuit party professionals to young newcomers, would come together to feel comfortable and happy together. From DJs,
to management, bartenders, dancers, hosts, busboys…we sought to gather the very best, fun and dedicated team of nightlife professionals whose main goal is to give
our crowd a good time and have fun while at it! VIVA Saturdays has something for everyone.
Was it a conscious choice to host VIVA in Hell’s Kitchen? Why?
We got lucky! Stage 48 is not only a great venue; it’s one of the very few large nightclub venues in the city. The fact that Stage 48 is in Hell’s kitchen made it even better!
One-night-a-week parties such as VIVA are becoming more popular in New York. Is the full-time gay club a thing of the past?
That is just it: Things have not changed. People now want the same thing they did back when NYC was filled with big spaces and giant nightclubs. VIVA Saturdays is just a modern version of that era. A space that would accommodate this type of party just was not available in NYC in a very long time, until Stage 48. The smaller weekly dance parties never went away, just the large circuit type venues were not there.
Weekly parties tend to come and go fairly quickly, but VIVA has been around for some time now. To what do you attribute the success and longevity of VIVA?
We never take it for granted! The people make the party. We always do our best to always listen to everything they tell us and try to come up with new things based on what they want and like.
What have been some of the highlights at VIVA for you guys since the party launched?
Seeing the steady growth and consistency of the party and of our crowd has been the thing that is the most gratifying.
What can we expect in the future for VIVA — are you heading in any new directions?
We will always stay tuned to the likes and dislikes of our customers and go in that direction. Having that said, we also love the challenge of putting a new twist on things
and surprising everyone from time to time.
Stay tuned!
605 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10019
vivasaturdays.com
