Now in its 26th year, Pines Party is not just an unforgettable dance marathon—it’s a vibrant beacon of community and compassion. Born from the ashes of GMHC’s Morning Party of the 1980s, this weekend-long revel became a tribute to LGBTQ+ liberation and resilience, with proceeds supporting The Pines Foundation, Stonewall Community Foundation, and the Seashore Defense Fund.
A Celebration Steeped in Legacy and Purpose
When summer’s night sky kissed the Atlantic, Fire Island Pines transformed into Dreamscape—a fantastical realm where the boundaries between dream and reality melted in a kaleidoscopic swirl. This year’s iteration of the beloved Pines Party turned the sands into a hypnotic playground, fusing surreal art, pulsating beats, and a communal trance under celestial lights
A Surreal Spectacle: Dreamscape Unveiled
Walking onto the beach was akin to stepping into a living canvas. Pastel lights danced across lapping waves, surreal visual installations blurred the air, and partygoers became living works of art gleaming in body paint, crowned with avant-garde headpieces, and gliding in diaphanous capes, jock straps, and mesh tanks. The grittiness of desire merged effortlessly with ethereal fantasy.
Beat-Driven Transcendence
The event pulsed with expertly curated soundscapes. Hits from The Carry Nation, Eli & Fur, Someone From Berlin, Tedd Paterson, and Joey With The Mustache guided bodies into a trance—blending hypnotic rhythms with emotional release. From poolside energy to unforgettable after-dark revelry, the music was a vessel for connection.
Community as Resistance
In an era of growing threats to LGBTQ+ freedoms, Dreamscape became a radical statement. As noted by Henry Robin, president of the Fire Island Pines Homeowners Association: dancing freely under the stars is not just joy—it’s defiance. From decorative gazes of support by high-profile politicians to heartfelt messages in the Community Journal, Pines Party became an emblem of unity, culture, and radical queerness.
New Shores, Old Spirit
With the Army Corps of Engineers restoring the beach to over 100 feet wide, Dreamscape was perhaps the most expansive yet. More space meant more dancers, more spectacle, and more possibility.
A Dreamified Legacy and a Call to Come Alive
Pines Party 2025 wasn’t just an event, it was an immersive journey, a beacon of queer ecstasy, and a testament to dance as both art and defiance. If you missed it, you missed a surreal explosion of flesh, fantasy, and fierce joy, but its energy will ripple through Fire Island until next summer.
