Calling all fabulous flappers and dapper dandies! The New-York Historical Society will host a Nightclub at the museum: “Roaring Twenties” Dance Party on Saturday, January 18, from 7 PM to 10 PM. This Jazz Age-themed party will provide guests with an open bar, live music featuring Dandy Wellington and his band, a photo booth, a Rock the Vote table where visitors may register to vote, and much more. Costumes and dance shoes are also encouraged.
This exciting dance party is part of the museum’s History After Dark program series. These events hope to enlighten and entertain young professionals and self-professed history geeks with music, mingling, cocktails, trivia, talks, and more, so be sure to keep an eye out for more events on the website.
So how did the 1920s became known as the “Roaring Twenties”? According to NYCGo.com, this particular decade brought about a surge of prosperity to New York City. This was also during the heights of the Jazz Age, the birth of Broadway musicals, the construction of “skyline-defining” skyscrapers in art deco style, and a new era of urban development.
Another defining moment in the 20s was the Prohibition. The 18th Amendment banned the manufacture and sale of “intoxicating liquor.” This movement promised to protect women and families from alcoholism. Many people, New Yorkers, in particular, challenged that idea and ignored the Prohibition by having an underground liquor trade instead now known as speakeasies and the like.
The “Roaring Twenties” is also often associated with the flapper image, which meant loose-fitting dresses, close-cropped hair, and decadent accessories. Gone are the high collars, the cinched waists caused by tight corsets, and hems past the ankles. The New York Public Library quotes satirist Henry L. Mencken who described the flapper woman that “denotes strength coupled with a touch of youthful defiance …a neophyte waiting to flap her wings as she embarks upon her maiden flight of discovery.” The 1920s also meant women could finally vote.
The 20s was a seemingly bygone era one could only imagine through books, movies, and the occasional themed bar. Still, this upcoming “Roaring Twenties” Dance Party may hopefully encourage some Great Gatsby-like parties for the next few years to come.
Tickets are available at $25 for non-members and $20 for members of the New-York Historical Society. You can purchase tickets here.
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