Fire Island Pines Ready to Sizzle For Summer 2023

Fire Island Pines is gearing up for another steamy summer just in time for the three-day Memorial Day Weekend. Here’s everything you need to know for what promises to be a wild 2023 season.

Pines Bistro and The Canteen are already up and running, serving delicious eats. Joining them soon will be The Blue Whale, relaunching for daily dinners and a Sunday drag brunch. Also returning will be the Blu Taco Truck. It and Pines Pizza are the perfect stops for a quick beach bite.

The island’s world-famous nightclub, The Pavilion, and its neighboring dance club, Sip N Twirl, will begin pumping new beats this Memorial Day weekend. Also opening will be the General Store, Camp Hardware, grooming salon Handsome Haircuts, juice bar, and retailer Ron Dorff. The Pool and an updated Pines Gym featuring new equipment will open on June 16th.

“We are working full speed to make sure this is another amazing summer in the Pines,” says PJ McAteer, Managing Partner of the Pines.

McAteer promises round-the-clock tea dances every day of the week and top-notch entertainment at various venues.

On Sundays, theatre lovers will be able to enjoy Showtunes Sundays at The Pavilion. On Mondays at 10 p.m., drag star Pixie Aventura takes the stage at The Pavilion while Tuesdays are reserved for NYC Entertainer of The YearBootsie LeFaris performs. Wednesday at 8 p.m. is Lose Your Balls Bingo at Blue Whale hosted by Bubbles D Boob. On Thursdays, host Marc MacNamara welcomes adult entertainers and reality housewives at his Reality Queens & Dirty Things party at The Pavilion. Friday night is the Jockstrap party at The Pavilion, a Fun Tea on the pool deck followed by Sing-A-Along Piano at Blue Whale, and a Latino dance party at Sip N Twirl. Saturday is another Fun tea on the pool deck and a dance party at The Pavilion and Sip N Twirl. And both The Pavilion and Sip N Twirl each host their own Saturday night concert series with rotating world class DJs and celebrity performers beginning in July.

This Saturday, drag icon Kevin Aviance, featured in Beyonce’s ‘Pure Honey’ single from her Renaissance album, will perform two shows: the first at Low Tea and a second performance at Sip N Twirl. The Pavilion and Sip N Twirl will release their full event line-up in the next few weeks.

Fire Island Pines first became a destination for gay men in 1952, when it was illegal for two men to dance together in public and when many in the world viewed gay men as sexual deviants. With its lush foliage, white sandy beaches (850,000 cubic yards of additional sand was recently added), beautiful modern architecture, and miles of wood plank boardwalks, the island served as a refuge for young men to take each other’s hands and help each other explore their natural inclinations. It also attracted celebrities from Liza Minelli to Luciano Pavarotti. Calvin Klein, David Geffen, Perry Ellis, and the director Michael Bennett even purchased homes on the island.

“The Pines continues to be a unique, magical place like no other on the planet,” McAteer reflects. “It truly is an LGBTQIA+ paradise that rests on the shoulders of its forefathers and foremothers who fought tirelessly for the protections and rights that we enjoy today. We celebrate them. It is why every day on Fire Island Pines is gay Pride.”

A trip from NYC is less than two hours on the Long Island Railroad. From the Sayville train stop, travelers board busses to the Fire Island Pines ferry. There is a nearby airport, too. MacArthur is ten minutes away, allowing guests from around the world to enjoy The Pines’ many attractions.

For more information, visit pinesfi.com.