Written by The 42nd edition of the Rites-of-Spring bacchanalia, The Black Party®, returns with a campy cosmic twist and a marathon line-up of queer underground dance genres.
THE SAINT AT LARGE®
presents
Rites XLII: THE BLACK PARTY®
10pm Saturday, March 22, 2025 until Sunday afternoon
Stage 48, 605 W 48th St., NYC
Strange Live Acts
Dress: Heavy*
4 immersive floors
6 DJs
Fully-equipped Goon Lounge (open to close)
Proceeds benefit The Saint Foundation
Sponsored by priape.com
Tickets: saintatlarge.com
@saintatlarge
Full press release text follows the 2025 teaser video, poster image, and 2024 post party video, photos below.
Contact: Andy Reynolds at andy@popularpublicity.com
Download press release Word | PDF
Above: Teaser video for The Black Party 2025.
Above: Poster for The Black Party 2025.
Above: Post party video from The Black Party 2024.
Below: Photos from The Black Party 2024 by Santiago Felipe, BUNNYZ and Wilsonmodels. Tap photos to see photo credits. Please include if reposting. For additional photos, please contact andy@popularpublicity.com .
March 11, 2025/ New York, NY – Rites XLII: The Black Party is set to blast off in New York City on March 22nd delivering its signature mix of curated beats with erotic-infused performance art for a one-of-a-kind marathon dance party intended to shed winter skin.
This year’s theme—Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—promises a twisted glam space pastiche meant to channel the gay ’90s when NYC nightlife peaked with camp, end-of-the-millennium, post-disco futurism. Inspired by the number 42, the intergalactic journey will transport attendees to a surreal dimension where neon-lit nostalgia collides with the possibilities of a tariff-free galaxy providing “the answer to life, the universe and everything.”
A genre-blurring lift-off begins with ALONE, a disco-renaissance NYC staple, followed by Jacob Meehan, whose Chicago house roots and sexually liberated club ethos will burn the engine starting at 1am. Josh Caffe, London’s rising icon and Love Child curator, delivers a jackin’ tech set that begins the coasting phase at 4am. Apogee and ejection commences when Berlin legend Prosumer, a foundational Berghain resident, takes over the turntables at 7:30am transporting dancers on a deep, soulful, house-infused trip. Sharon White, a Saint veteran and Legends of Vinyl Hall-of-Famer, spins a b2b morning set with Quentin Harris, one of house music’s most sought-after producers, landing revelers back down for the final recovery. DJ bios, photos, and Soundcloud links at www.saintatlarge.com
About The Black Party
Resurrected in 2024 from its Covid-induced hibernation, the first since 2019, The Black Party’s annual pagan-inspired ritual, traditionally scheduled for the weekend closest to the vernal equinox, has established itself as gay New York’s most coveted nightlife event of the year. After 45+ legendary seasons, it remains reliably and utterly unique; a mysterious and highly anticipated one-night only, no-holds-barred, nocturnal carnival.
Jetting in from various continents, its loyal dance tribe arrives eager for the rebirth that Spring promises. The order of the night is to gear up in leather and revel in this carefully constructed alternate reality of fetish, fantasy and balls-to-the-wall crush that is The Black Party.
Structured as a five-act opera with a backstory imagined by an artistic director and brought to life with performance artists, theatrical lighting, production design and state-of-the-art “dancesurround” sound, to enter the subterranean world of The Black Party is to enter a fully realized immersive environment with each participants’ experience at its core.
The Black Party® is produced by The Saint At Large® organization. Inspired by its legendary namesake nightclub, The Saint (1980 – 1988), The Saint At Large® has built a reputation as the preeminent producer of gay nightlife entertainment, known and respected worldwide for its ambitious productions, cutting edge innovations and creative staging.
About The Saint / The Saint At Large:
In 1980’s New York, The Saint sprung to life, transcending the standard, modestly-executed, gay club establishment, emerging as the very pinnacle of nightclubs on the world stage. A revolutionary reinvention of a planetarium built in an abandoned East Village theater by impresario Bruce Mailman, it was world renown as “the Vatican of Disco.” Queer artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Martin Wong, REX, Bastille created poster-sized invitations attracting luminaries like Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Leonard Bernstein and Thierry Mugler among the thousands of card-carrying members. The Saint evolved into the quintessential discotheque, shaping the NY scene and gay life well after its physical doors closed in 1988, a victim of the devastating AIDS plague. Enter The Saint at Large®, the legacy event production group which has carried the torch to bring queers together in a safe space for one night only (and usually the next day) events. From the treasures left by its long-gone patrons, the company has created an educational and charitable non-profit, The Saint Foundation, to preserve its sui generis cultural contributions.
About the venue- Stage 48:
Stage 48 is a former horse stable located in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC that hosts concerts, DJ”s, and nightclub events. A large horseshoe balcony overlooks the main floor providing excellent site lines of the 34 ft. wide stage and revelers below. The Black Party inhabits the entirety of the 4-floor venue, culminating in 2 dance floors, including lounges for the long haul.
Tickets and info: saintatlarge.com
For more information on The Saint Foundation: thesaintfoundation.org
NO LIQUIDS, CAMERAS, CELLPHONES
NOTE: No press, cameras, phones or media will be admitted to The Black Party®. Attendees are asked to respect each other’s privacy and freedom of expression. Phones and cameras must be checked at the door. This is mandatory. Security will confiscate the mobile device of any patron violating the no cellphone policy. Busted patrons can claim their phones at the end of the event after deleting all images from their phone, cloud, etc. Those who disrespect this rule will be blacklisted from all future Saint At Large® events.
*Serious fetish clothing (leather, rubber, harnesses, gear).
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