From the lip of the stage, for as far as the eye could travel, all you could see was an ocean of people: hands in the air, the lights reflecting off their jubilant faces. So overwhelmed was one boy that he kept repeating, “I wasn’t expecting this; this is amazing. I wasn’t expecting anything like this.” You might have thought it was the second coming—but no, this was Matinée New York Pride on Governors Island—and equally as revelatory.

At the base of Manhattan, Governors Island is that ice-cream-cone shaped island that was once the home of the US Coast Guard, as well as various other military agencies. Since its return to the city of New York, Governors Island has been the locale for several outdoor dance parties, but perhaps none as elaborate and well attended as Matinée Group’s inaugural event in the United States, one of the more phenomenal parties of 2010.

Anyone who has ever been to (or seen the video footage of) Matinée Group’s gargantuan and theatrical parties in Spain (Circuit Festival, Space @ Ibiza) might have quickly assessed how perfect Governors Island would be for Matinée’s US debut, but it took a dream team of New York night life industry heavies such as Josh Wood, Jake Resnicow, Tommy Marinelli, and Rob Fernandez to make it happen—and to keep nearly 4,000 revelers cheering repeatedly in jaw-dropping amazement.

Right from the departure off the tip of Manhattan, on ferries run by New York Water Taxi, those adorable yellow checkerboard boats zipping up and down the Hudson, it was clear that this party was run by professionals: people with business sense and a healthy respect for their clientele. And there are few things as fabulous as landing on terra firma, with the Manhattan skyline across the harbor—and a party hitting its stride.

That lissome nymphet DJ Theresa (Velasquez) was in the house, creating mayhem with her bongos and a set that utilized the gloaming as a launch point for sexy, infectious beats, while a harem of hottie go-go boys (including the scrumptious Andres Monteil) worked the massive stage like it was an outdoor version of Broadway Bares. There were leather-clad aerialists whirling through the air and Tigger, the CO2 Fog Tiger from Ibiza, spraying the crowd and Darren Kawa on lights, highlighting a proscenium that was flanked by gigantic Armani scrims—and there was also that crowd. What a crowd! What a stunning mass of humanity, marked by a surfeit of South Beach beauties such as Bene Abbate and his twin, as well as Edison Farrow, and Tony Hayden, and Adam Weaver, and Mikey Nyugen, and DJ Boris, and the kind of women, leggy and slinky, who populate the pages of fashion magazines—and the joy of it all was the manner in which everyone was grooving on the same cloud. As one cover girl said, “This is a beautiful vibe,” which was totally accurate.

And as the night light skyline of Manhattan blinked on, Matinée resident DJ Taito Tikaro took over, laying down a groove jet of ferociously chunky house. This was music that has always made you move, like Madonna’s “Vogue” and “How Does It Feel” and “The Underground” and “Big Love,” but with a vibrantly buoyant backbeat.

 “I LOVE THIS SHIT,” shouted one man—and who would disagree? And especially when Andrea Carnell made a surprise appearance, singing her #1 Matinee Records hit, “Open Up Your Heart.” Thereafter, it was a sea of open hearts and smiling faces, of gorgeous happy people—and when the fireworks went off in the middle of Tikaro’s euphoric set, what was there left to do but exult in joy? 

“Let the fire burn within me,” went the lyric to “Release Me,” the track for one spectacular production number, complete with gravity-defying aerialists—and by night’s end, there was little question that the crowd had been released into that state of ecstasy which fuels life. No one wanted to leave, not really—and Tikaro played on, one encore after another, until finally, the last ferry slipped back across the water, heading for Manhattan.

And even then, the fires of Matinee Group’s debut in New York burned within. “Matinée loves New York,” Bru Marse Ortigosa had yelled into the microphone, “and we think New York loves Matinée”—to which the crowd had unleashed a huge roar of approval. No question about it; Matinée conquered Governors Island on Saturday evening—and never has a victory tasted so sweet. What a blast of Iberian fresh air—and what a glorious celebration of New York City Pride!