Dolly Party

Stepping off the tram with a mass of people also entering Garibaldi Square, you could hear the music pumping a couple of blocks away and see the excited crowds quickly joining the street party in the Place du Pin area of Nice, otherwise also known as “le petit Marais”.

Dolly Party

This was my first Dolly Party (certainly not my last) and only the third time the City of Nice has allowed such a large outdoor street event of this kind.  The Dolly Party concept has been around the French Riviera for some time now, the organizers hold these parties in public areas such as beaches, streets and nightclubs, and they are not to be missed!

The underlying theme for everyone attending this Dolly Party was to wear white, and there was a sea of white as far as you could see.  Heading into the streets filled with thousands of people of every age, weight, gender, and sexual orientation…everyone was making their way to take in a truly amazing Dolly Party experience!

This Dolly Party was presented by the Cote d'Azur LGBT Community Center in Nice, the AGLAE and L' EuroPride.  LGP Marseille also made a special trip to help promote EuroPride 2013 by providing information, handing out buttons, stickers and selling t-shirts.  There was also a AIDS awareness vehicle set up so that you could get tested, ask questions and get more general information about safe sex practices.

Various DJ’s were in attendance such as Sebastien Coda, Nicolas Derman, Richard Vegas and Laurent N who certainly kept the crowd dancing all night long.  And as the DJ’s played, on the same stage the multimedia artist Patrick Moya spent the evening doing live paintings!

Most of the restaurants I had seen, such as Gossip Bar, decided for the event to remove all the tables from inside their restaurants to the outdoors to become a part of the Dolly Party atmosphere and at times it wasn’t unusual to see the overflow crowds dancing inside the restaurants since the tables were no longer in the way.  Other business owners, such as Malabar Station Cruising Bar, had closed off the play area inside of their club and opened other doors to sell beer and wine at a very reasonable price out on their terrace.

The participation from the whole of the community was amazing!  You would lose track of time as you made your way through the crowds to see what might be happening from one end of the Dolly Party to the other, I’ve never seen so many smiling faces and it was very easy to meet new people, dance with others and run into old friends.

If you ever get the chance to go to a Dolly Party, do it!  It will be one of the best times you’ve ever had!Most photos courtesy of Jean-Michel Deroc.  Merci!