Pinesfest 2016. The party/ benefit that almost wasn’t…
Pinesfest was the brainchild of Pines resident Greg Dyer. A New Beach Festival. September 3-5, 2016. Pinesfest was born out of the desire to carry on the incredible legacy of Fire Island Pines. Due to an impending hurricane the party never saw its true potential…
On Labor Day Weekend, the Fire Island Pines and surrounding communities will unite on the beach for Pinesfest—a showcase of talent reflecting The Power of Community. Pinesfest is both a celebration of the Pines and the broader LGBTQ community, and a major source of fundraiser for our beneficiary: The Hetrick Martin Institute.
Greg Dyer
The event was created to celebrate the Pines community during three days of ten-hour-long parties with major headliners such as Australian singer (and gay-favorite) Betty Who, famed Italian DJ duo The Cube Guys, as well as beach workouts with Barry’s Bootcamp, TMPL Gym, and Swerve trainers.
Unfortunately a Mean girl named Hermine ( tropical storm Hermine) wasn’t invited but showed up, anyway; and she brought in a little drama with her. The messy storm that threatened to bring dangerous weather conditions to the Long Island coast led to a voluntary evacuation alert and some ferry cancelations. Thankfully, Hermine got to the party a little late and only the final day of the event had to be canceled due to safety concerns: “To ensure the safety of our guests, we were required to evacuate the beach yesterday evening. Programming scheduled for today, Monday, September 5, will be rescheduled for a future date, to be announced,” the event’s hosts noted.
But even with the hurricane threat, Pinesfest “hosted nearly a thousand guests and raised several thousand dollars for the two non-profit beneficiaries”, according to organizers. “The generous way the community embraced what we did here was rewarding and remarkable. The incredible artists, phenomenal food, DJs, Betty Who (below), a jousting bouncey bounce – neighbors and friends were out en masse to show their support for doing something unique, exciting and new,” said Pinesfest creator Greg Dyer.
The first day, which celebrated the power of community and the beauty of charity went on as planned. And the season’s hottest men took over the dance floor — as women — for Babes of Summer, the Labor Day Drag Party.
“What if we married the beach club idea with a music festival idea?” organizer Greg Dyer told Next Magazine. “And we could set it up with food tents and different bands and DJs. What is going to keep people at a Beach Club all day… So that was the inspiration.”
Dyer says the entertainment will be diverse, with a strong electronic bent, “because that is what the market wants.”
The clouds began to roll in…
