Whoa! Well, good heavens! Just when half of us were struggling back to the Beach after a gargantuan New York Pride, and you might have imagined that we had little energy left to spare—along comes Edison Farrow’s Amnesia Reunion 10 to prove yet again that South Beach always has the last word in celebration. And just what exactly were we celebrating again? The Fourth of July? Gay Pride? Or was it Amnesia, the club that more or less defined a certain era in South Beach’s hedonism? Answer: all of the above. And woe to any poor soul who decided to curl up with a good book on this Sunday of all Sundays, because everyone else dusted off her do-rag and grabbed a new pair of shades and headed out the door.

For a minute, the skies looked worrisome—but everyone marching their way down the Beach to 1st and Collins must’ve shaken their shades at the sky—and before you knew it, Amnesia @ Opium Garden was packed to the gills and hot, hot, hot, with nearly a thousand of us milling through Opium Garden’s Mediterranean fantasy foliage. We’re talking almost the entire delectable membership of Equinox South Beach, and also a bodacious Alegria contingent, as well as the comely CLICK clique, and also that South Beach harem comprising Daisy D, Adora, Shelly Novak and Chyna, as well as the entire news team from Channel 7, including Craig Stevens, and also producer Ric Sena and Kevin Taylor, and lighting maestro Ross Berger, and Omar Gonzalez and Dustin Reffca, and the Pennyback Boys, and Flavio Nisti (D’OH!), and Dale Stine, and Jason Tamanini and Chad Richter, and Merle and Leo and Matt and Carlos, and—oh, puhleeze—it’s probably easier to list the very few who weren’t there.

And up in the booth, there was David Knapp, looking as pleased and sweet as punch to be back where he’d celebrated so many New Year’s Days and Winter Party post-parties. Which was, in fact, what many people were feeling: a kind of return to Xanadu. There was the guy who’d traveled from Chicago, just because he used to party at Amnesia back in the day. And the two gay brothers from the Honduras who were sixteen when Amnesia was first happening. And there were the newbies who’d never been to Amnesia—only heard the stories—until now.

And once more as before, the banquettes around the floor were packed with dancing boyz and flaggers on the platforms as David Knapp plated a mélange of delicious medleys such as “Don’t Lose the Magic.” Everyone was happy, smiling wide and laughing loud. And slowly, as a profusion of Chinese lanterns glowed pink and gold above the dance floor, the sun set behind the skyline on a perfect day in paradise.

Happy Fourth, Happy Pride—and snaps to all of us who werked it out on the floor—and most especially to Edison Farrow for having the wherewithal to pull this party together and get David Knapp back to what was once Amnesia and make the magic happen again. Here’s to the Beach and here’s to the bunch of us! Don’t we know just how to LIVE and LIVE AGAIN!