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Photos, Videos: Ain't No Party Like A Manhattan Bridge Party

Jen Chung

Published Aug 11, 2013

Modified Aug 11, 2013

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Scott Lynch / Gothamist

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Jen Chung

Published Aug 11, 2013

Modified Aug 11, 2013

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On Friday night, we received a tip about a "Xandernation" party on the Manhattan Bridge. "Xandernation is all about creating the most outrageous experiences in the most outrageous places," the party's Facebook page says. Unable to resist Steampunk Federalism, we had to check it out.

Per the party's Facebook page, :

How is this allowed?
It isn't, but the walkway is so long and is so concealed it is impossible to see from the outside.

How long will it go?
We go till the cops come. Our friends have thrown events on the bridge that have gone till 4AM. It's just a matter of luck.

Will I get arrested?
No, but we might

Will there be music?
Fuck yes. We will be bringing insane sound. Music is guaranteed all night.

Also, it was suggested, "Come early. This is an event, not a party. You wouldn't show up to a concert late, don't show up to Xandernation late," so photographer Scott Lynch entered on the pedestrian walkway at 9 p.m. and thought one group of people loitering around was too young for the activities—but they were indeed there for the party.

Lynch sets the scene:

The Xandernation guys are three amiable young men from Bensonhurst. They told me that they've been throwing parties since July 4 of last summer, taking over fields, warehouses, and airplane hangers, getting "hundreds" of people each time, but that this Manhattan Bridge gig was by far their most out-in-the-open event. They got started because clubs are terrible and they like having fun and making people happy.

The DJs arrived at 10 p.m., and the party was held in "a little cut-out space, closer to the Brooklyn side, about parallel to Jane's Carousel—and quickly set up what seemed to me to a large amount of equipment," according to Lynch.

He added, "The crowd was growing quickly at this point, and when the music started blasting, there were at least 150 people there already. It was really loud, and the walkway was packed with kids, dancing, posing, drinking booze and Red Bull, getting high, jumping around, screaming, being rowdy, basically having a blast. The crowd was happy, racially diverse, mostly packs of guys I guess but enough girls to keep everyone in show-off mode. And even with a complete lack of any sort of discretion, there was no sense that the party could be seen or heard by anyone who cared—unless a Q train conductor decided to rat them out, or if an NYPD officer happened to be on a passing train."

He estimates 350 people were there when he left at 11:30 p.m., "Probably 50 more passed me on their way in."

[UPDATE]The Daily News reports that the cops broke up the party at around 12:40 a.m. and made at least three arrests, that included one of the organizers. But apparently it was worth it!

Tagged

manhattan bridge

teens

xander nation

original

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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