Subway party
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(April 2021) |
Asubway partyis acelebrationthat occurs on amass transitsystem. Generally, people meet at a predetermined station in their city's mass transit system, wait until their numbers have achievedcritical mass,and board the train. From there, revelers may engage in many different activities, from playingmusicand dancing to exchanging gifts.
There are several kinds of subway parties, the two most distinct being therush hoursubway party and thelate nightsubway party.[1]
Types
[edit] | This sectionpossibly containsoriginal research.(October 2007) |
Rush hour subway parties aim to spread joy to commuters, whose daily treks into the center of their metropolis can be long, boring or stressful. Several subway party groups have boarded subway cars dressed ingoat skinsto give presents to commuters, and have been known to play parcheesi, wear wings and sprinkle glitter on the willing.[citation needed]
Late night subway parties are for the enjoyment of the attendees. Party-goers doncostumes,decorate the subway car, bring musical instruments and sometimes the parties have atheme.
On nights that are especially festive such asNew Year'sorWorld Cupvictories, a spontaneous subway party may occur. People may already be drinking above ground and decide to board the subway. When this happens, the general feeling of revelry continues below ground.
Critics of subway parties of this kind say that, by introducing chaos, these activities may place the already-crowded subway riders in danger or cause delays. Also, some people may simply become annoyed by them.
With the advent of email and cellphones, invitations to subway parties can now be distributed electronically. The party usually starts at onesubwaystation and acquires more participants as it proceeds through the system. The instructions often ask people to meet by the last car of the train.
History
[edit]In 1904, theNew York City Subwaysystem'sfirst lineopened. Photographs from the event show people dressed in tuxedos and top hats[2]and drinking champagne to celebrate.[citation needed]
In the 1980s,Michael Aligand theClub Kidsthrew parties onNew York Citysubway trains where they purportedly took the drugecstasy.The events were promoted throughword of mouthand telephones. These parties are detailed in the bookDisco Bloodbath.
In 2005, theToronto Transit Commissiondeclared October "culture month", perhaps inspired by recent subway parties in the city.[citation needed]This campaign included "culture cars", which were randomly selected cars that contained spontaneous, professional singing, dancing and music.
Today, subway parties are only loosely related to theflash mobphenomenon. The details for subway parties are published on blogs, websites and mailing lists. People assemble seemingly spontaneously in dozens ofcitiesthroughout the world.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Subway Parties"(PDF).newmindspace.
- ^"19 Unbelievable Pictures from the Early Years of the NYC Subway".BuzzFeed News.27 October 2018.
Sources
[edit]- McGinn, Dave. "Don't stop the guerrilla party train".Dose magazine,18 Aug 2005.
- Lazarovic, Sarah. "Revelers See Stars at Underground Celebration".The Globe and Mail,16 Aug 2005.
- "Subway parties".CBC's The Hour withGeorge Stroumboulopoulos,12 Dec 2005.
- James St. James. "Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland".
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