PREVIEW: The Fall: Cyber Carnival Prepares To Propel Attendees Into The Future
07/25 @ Rocks, Albany
“The Fall: Cyber Carnival will push you deep into the future with three rotating DJs, up-close carnival acts, burlesque & drag performers, clowns, vendors, drink specials, and anything else that would make William Gibson and PT Barnum shake hands and smile wryly.”
Rocks has been an iconic location for Albany's queer community for years. Now, after a long stretch of feeling like Central Ave had lost its mojo post-Covid, Richard Cruz and his compatriots from The Fall decided that the best way out of any slump is effort and ingenuity. This past November, they started throwing theme nights and were floored by the community's response. This July’s event is an effort to outdo themselves.
Their latest event, The Fall: Cyber Carnival will push you deep into the future with three rotating DJs, up-close carnival acts, burlesque & drag performers, clowns, vendors, drink specials, and anything else that would make William Gibson and PT Barnum shake hands and smile wryly. Envisioned as a circus show in neo-Tokyo, neon will light up the big top and throb to the sounds of goth, industrial, darkwave, and techno. If you're feeling down about the encroachment of tech firms into daily life, AI, dark money, and rising global unrest, try throwing on some big black cargo pants, a tiny shirt, and the darkest shades you can wear at night. If you still don't feel better (but especially if you do) catch a ride to Rocks on July 25 for what promises to be the event of the new millennium.
Costumes are heavily encouraged and everybody is welcome. If you're the kind of cybergoth who doesn't like to dance (gasp!), have no fear. While one part of the club is dedicated to dancing and DJs, there will also be spaces to catch the rotating array of unique performances, a vendor area, and more casual sections to sit down with a drink and chat with your chooms.
Cruz told me that years of bartending, wrestling, making art, designing graphics, creating custom action figures, and being part of the local nightlife all coalesced into his passion for throwing these events. In our brief conversation, I could hear how proud he was about how well his plans were coming together. The lights, music, drinks, performers, vendors, stage dressing, and all the million other details that make these theme nights special seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces in his head.
His goals are simple. He wants to put on unique events with unparalleled production quality that draw crowds that want fun to be a participatory act. He wants to make sure that no two of those events are the same. Lastly, he wants to make sure that everyone has a place there. Whether you're a club kid trying to stay out ‘til you greet the sun, a queer person looking for something new to do in a city that can sometimes feel like Groundhog Day, or just somebody who likes to throw on a costume and feel like somebody else for a night, I promise that the only way to be disappointed by the Cyber Carnival is to not go.
Rocks is located at 77 Central Ave, Albany. The party starts at 9pm with a $15 cover, but early arrivals get a discount at $10.
