Gemini & Scorpio’s Tenth Anniversary: A decade of parties in NYC

Larisa Fuchs, the cofounder and creative force behind Gemini & Scorpio (geminiandscorpio.com), has a lot to celebrate this year. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, she can continue converting a warehouse loft in Gowanus into a permanent venue and arts space. And it’s been ten years since she (Miss Scorpio) and her friend Jamie Kiffel (Miss Gemini) staged the first G&S event: a Valentine’s Day singles party at Remote Lounge. Since then, the Bowery bar has closed down, Kiffel (now Kiffel-Alcheh) has moved to L.A., and Fuchs has continued to produce events under the G&S banner, shifting her focus from dating toward vintage-inflected alt nightlife. Costumes are de rigueur at Gemini & Scorpio parties, burlesque and circus performers are typical, and off-the-beaten-path locations—such as Brooklyn Banya, a Russian bathhouse in Flatbush—are not uncommon. A steampunk weekend has been planned around the occasion, headlined by Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra at Lincoln Center (Fri 9, watch a live stream of the concert here), and featuring a ball in a 19th-century church (Sat 10) and a Mississippi-style paddleboat cruise (Sun 11). As the milestone approaches, we asked Fuchs to take us through some highlights of the past decade.