Afternoon Delight :: The East Bay Patio Party

For a fun airy dance party with no pretense and a warm welcoming environment, Afternoon Delight, the monthly house music party at Oakland's The New Parish, celebrates its first year and the 30th birthday of its cofounder Justin Lenzi, aka DJ Justime, this Sunday, November 22.

"When I moved to Oakland, I thought it was time to do something here," said Lenzi in a phone interview. "We thought we should do a Sunday T-dance. That way, people in the city could come out and have a good time and take BART home."

Lenzi's co-producer Josh Smith was also born and raised in the Bay Area.

The East Bay has long been a cultural alternative to San Francisco, and as more people are forced to live outside the city, entertainment events naturally become more popular.

"We were scoping out venues and found The New Parish to be great, and it's only two blocks away from the 19th Street BART station," said Lenzi.

The club hosts many emerging musicians, and various weekly and monthly events that are LGBT-friendly. The nearby Fox Theatre has been host to high profile music acts with a strong gay following (Grace Jones, Erasure and Scissor Sisters, to name a few).

While the nearby Club BnB and Club 21 cater to LGBT Latino patrons, and plans for Port, a new gay bar next to the Paramount Theatre remain in-progress, events like Afternoon Delight are keeping a few extra queer sparks of nightlife going.

"There's sunshine on the dance floor," said Lenzi. "The weather's been really good for every party. It rained once, but people were still dancing. They still have a good time, no matter what the weather's like."

Afternoon Delight usually takes place on each month's fourth Sunday. "There aren't many other competing events in San Francisco, so we've done pretty well," said Lenzi.

The mission, he said, is to "create a safe and fun environment for queer people to congregate in the East Bay. It's also important for us to keep House music thriving. We've created a space that's truly welcoming to everyone. We can get together and forget about how messed up the world is. It's inclusive and about the love, with a party atmosphere where people feel safe to be who they are."
DJs Justime and Joshua Smith at The New Parish. Photo: Ryan Owens

Some of the guest DJs Lenzi and Smith have booked in the first year include East Bay fave Olga T, the amazing Page Hodel, and the dynamic disco duo Steve Fabus and Sergio Fedasz of Go Bang. For their one-year anniversary, Allen Craig, Justime, Jeffrey Tice and DJ Black (Hella Gay and Ships in the Night) will guest-spin.

"We work with people who have a history," said Lenzi. "Joshua has been going out to so many events, connecting with old-school DJs."

Lenzi described how his event's intent is decidedly different.

"A lot of events have a kind of popularity contest or ego vibe, or a bit in 'the scene.' Our party is very much a counter to that, to be very inclusive. I feel like we've created a space that's for the music. We focus on getting people into the mix."

And gifts are by no means required by the young DJ, who's hitting the big 3-0.

"This is a big birthday," said Lenzi. "I'm excited to be getting out of my 20s, and moving into 30. And yes, the presence of others will be presents enough. I've been curating music for the last month, and I'm looking forward to dropping some epic grooves!"

Tooting a birthday wish at The New Parish. Photo: Ryan Owens

Celebrate Justime's 30th birthday and the one-year anniversary of Afternoon Delight, the outdoor patio House music party, with DJs Allen Craig, Justime, Jeffrey Tice and DJ Black. Sunday, November 22. 3pm-8pm. The New Parish, 1743 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. (510) 444-7474. www.thenewparish.com