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Elsewhere's rooftop is reopening to the public this weekend, though you won't be dancing to disc jockey sets and live bands just yet.
The vibrant indie venue in industrial Bushwick—known for its multi-room indoor dance parties, art happenings, and sunny sunset parties on the roof—is opening its doors starting Saturday, June 27, from noon to midnight, for folks to soak up the environs again for seated dining and drinking.
"While it will likely be a long time until we can welcome you all back for our usual multi-room parties and shows, for now we'll be opening our rooftop to the public for pride weekend, serving limited seated food & drinks in the sun," Elsewhere's team wrote in a statement.
Elsewhere is using its outdoor space to reconnect with its community during New York City's Phase 2.
"Our main goal is to just get people back in the space, enjoying the venue again—that's where our heads are at," co-founder Jake Rosenthal says. "We set up a lot of precautions to make sure its happening in a way that takes public health and safety seriously."
This summer, Elsewhere will be bringing back its drink hits like its frozen spicy mango margaritas and Red Bull coconut rum. It'll also have a larger food menu than last year from Holyground BBQ, full of light bites like summery salads, tacos, and smoked white bean hummus.
As for its capacity, the staff will let in 50 people on a first-come, first-serve basis (which is about 15% of their usual capacity), so be sure to arrive with your full group. On the roof, there will be 15 tables set up, including seating for two, four and six, Rosenthal says.
As for health protocols, all visitors will need to get their temperature checked upon entry (to ensure it is under 100.4° F), you must wear a mask at all times except when seated, and all food and drinks must be eaten or drank at your seat. You can find more details on their set social distancing rules here.
On their site they state, while "we begin to re-open portions of the venue, we will be taking every measure possible to maintain the highest standards of hygiene at Elsewhere. We remain in close communication with the Mayor's Office of Nightlife, to receive real-time direction from the city regarding public health safety guidelines and recommendations as they develop this summer."
If you were wondering whether there will be any shoulder shimmying opportunities from your dining seat, there won't be live performances as entertainment falls under Phase 4 of the state's re-opening plan, but there will be curated playlists by Elsewhere's bookers playing music in the background for your listening pleasure.
Elsewhere's roof will be open for seated hangouts from Thursdays to Sundays (excluding Friday evenings).
While the venue can't carry out its usual rooftop series for a physical audience this summer, it also announced it is hosting a series of sunset livestreams from their rooftop space, called "Sunstreams," every Friday from 7 to 10pm.
The weekly series is built around raising funds for racial justice community resource organizations and to give a platform for POC artists. Each week, the artist on deck chooses an organization they care about to focus on that week. Elsewhere has pledged to contribute $500 to the artist's chosen charity, and both the venue and Red Bull are additionally double matching audience donations.
You can watch and donate via Elsewhere's Twitch every Friday from 7 to 10pm. Last Friday's Sunstream event featured Half Moon, a Brooklyn based music network, which raised $3,600 for Project Reach NYC.
For Pride Weekend, Elsewhere's livestream will welcome DisCakes and SKORT, whose parties usually celebrate the queer and intersectional roots of electronic music. The Sunstream will benefit the Emergency Release Fund, a mutual aid network to help LGBTQ+ individuals of Riker's Island and ICE detention.
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