[title]
Outside of "Showtime!," the New York City subway rarely inspires dancing, but one Downtown Brooklyn station is about to become a bona fide underground club.
On Saturday, September 26, the New York Transit Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary with Vinyl Nights Presents Return to ’76, a two-level dance party inside the museum’s decommissioned subway station at 99 Schermerhorn Street. From 6 to 9 pm, DJs will spin disco, funk and hip-hop entirely on vinyl, while guests dance among vintage trains and subway artifacts.
Upstairs on the mezzanine, Jeff Selby will kick off the evening with New Style Hustle lessons set to music from DJ Miss Gypsy. The dance combines the partner work of the classic 1970s hustle with freer footwork and plenty of room for individual flair. (No experience is required.) Afterward, DJ Misbehaviour will take over with a disco set amid the museum’s collection of vintage subway signs.
RECOMMENDED: NYC's most heinous subway station is getting a long-overdue makeover later this year
Down on the city-block-long platform, Operator Emz will spin funk and hip-hop as guests move through more than 20 historic train cars. The collection includes everything from early wooden elevated cars to the retro-futuristic “Million Dollar Car,” along with the Bluebirds and Redbirds that traveled the city during the 1970s and ’80s. Period advertisements, leather hanging straps and gloriously colorful interiors will complete the time warp.
Naturally, ’70s fashion is strongly encouraged: a costume contest will take place along a Soul Train-style line at 8:30 pm, with Vinyl Nights founder Rebecca Lynn, Miss Subways 2026 Abby Fantastic and subway announcer Bernie Wagenblast judging the bell-bottoms, leisure suits, sequins and other throwback looks. Winners will receive Transit Museum memberships and Vinyl Nights swag.
The entire museum will remain open during the party, so visitors can climb behind the wheel of an MTA bus, tour a century of turnstiles and explore an exhibition tracing the institution’s history since its 1976 debut. Two mezzanine bars will serve drinks including the MetroGold, a glittery Old Fashioned from Fort Hamilton Distillery, and Rockaway Brewing Co.’s subway-themed Rockaway 1875 Pale Ale.
Tickets cost $50 and include two drinks; additional beverages will be available at a cash bar. All but $20 of the ticket price is tax-deductible, making this one subway party you can feel good about missing your stop for.