Get ready to boogie down at the 11th annual Donna Summer Disco Party, which is gearing up to take over City Hall Plaza this Friday, June 27th. As reported by Boston.com, the event celebrates the unmatched disco queen and Boston's own, Donna Summer, with a night of her unforgettable hits. The "Hot Stuff" singer, who passed away in 2012, will be remembered from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through a vibrant free party that rivals any other in the city.
Amy Yandle, the director of special events for the City of Boston, along with the city's special events team, initially launched the Donna Summer Disco Party back in 2014. Since then, it has evolved from a modest gathering at the Seaport to a City Hall Plaza spectacle drawing thousands, as WROR details. Yandle recounted to GBH, “Oh, there's lots of fancy roller skating outfits and tricks. There's folks in their disco suits, a nice polyester suit with a big collar. It is a sight, and it is so much fun.”
An electric mix of glow sticks, bubbles, and colorful lights under the summer sky sets the mood, as a disco ball sparkles over crowds of roller skaters. This slice of '70s nostalgia is not just about the ambiance, it's a tribute to Summer's extraordinary legacy. The Queen of Disco, born Mary Gaines, was a pioneer and an icon, known for 32 chart singles, including four number-one hits out of 100 million records sold. Attendees this Friday will have the chance to groove to every major hit spun by the evening's DJ, who promises "all of Donna Summer's greatest hits and more classics," according to Boston.com's original article.
Angelika Beener, an award-winning journalist, DJ and producer, emphasized Summer's far-reaching influence in the music industry and beyond. She told GBH, "She is so much more than the queen of disco,” she told GBH. “She sold over 150 million records. She has six Grammys. She's the first woman to win a Grammy in the rock category. She's an Oscar winner. She's one of the first, if not the first, Black women to be on MTV. And so she is iconic.” solidifying Summer's status as a multifaceted idol. A celebration of this magnitude for such an acclaimed star is more than fitting, it's a Boston tradition, as per WROR.
The Donna Summer Disco Party also marks the city's admiration for one of its own. The Mission Hill-born talent bested 15 other artists in the Boston.com Boston Music Bracket last fall, outdoing second-place finisher Aerosmith and truly capturing the hearts of music lovers.
