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Photos: Jazz Age Lawn Party Brings Governors Island Back In Time
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 17, 2013
Modified Jun 18, 2013
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Katie Sokoler / Gothamist
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 17, 2013
Modified Jun 18, 2013
Share
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The weather was stellar for the 8th Annual Jazz Age Lawn Party this weekend on Governors Island, where sharply dressed gents and free-spirited flappers flocked for two days of dancing, picnicking and atavistic merriment. Headlined by the irresistible Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra, the whole affair was saturated in self-imposed sepia, with vintage beaded dresses and waxed mustaches as far as the eye could see—it's a goddamn miracle Instagram didn't crash.
Be aware that access to the Gatsby-era Time Machine doesn't come cheap—tickets this year nudged up to $30, and you'll pay extra for food or beverages. On the plus side, you can bring your own supplies and enjoy a nice picnic of your choosing. And there is ample green space surrounding the ticketed area where lavishly dressed revelers on a budget settled in for free—you won't be able to boogie on the spacious wooden dance floor in front of the band or shop from the vintage clothing vendors, but you can hear the music loud and clear. (We're not advocating this, because the musicians and dancers deserve to get paid.)
In and around the party's grounds, there were antique gramophones belting out original recordings from the 1920s, tug of war, a Charleston contest, motorcars from the 1920s, dance lessons, beer and cocktails made with St-Germain, and, yesterday, Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann. It was good, clean fun, and, surprisingly, nobody took one of the old-timey cars for a drunken joyride.
If you've got some vintage threads you want to show off, you'll have another opportunity in August, when the Jazz Age Lawn Party returns to Governors Island on August 17th and 18th. Tickets and details here.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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