Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The 30th anniversary reunion and celebration of Meow Mix continued last night at the Parkside Lounge, drawing another packed crowd to honor the legacy of the iconic lesbian bar that once thrived on the Lower East Side.
There were some surprise guests at the outset.
Justin Vivian Bond kicked off the evening, introducing Cynthia Nixon, who in turn welcomed Zohran Mamdani, the mayoral hopeful running against Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent.
Bond joked about being called a socialist, saying they'd once confused it with being a socialite.
Nixon drew big laughs with the line, "Andrew Cuomo is not in a dyke bar tonight."
Mamdani spoke about early voting, affordable housing and the future of the city, calling on New Yorkers to keep fighting and organizing. He name-checked ACT UP and said leadership means saying goodbye to Mayor Adams and Cuomo — and showing President Trump "a city that's ready to fight him."
Though he'd never been to Meow Mix, he said he was thrilled to be part of the reunion, calling it a "vision of what New York should be." He added that queer and trans New Yorkers should not only be protected, but also cherished and celebrated.
Mamdani accepted a Meow Mix reunion T-shirt (and joked about the ethics rules on gift values) before heading out to more applause.
Here are more scenes from last night...
The Meow Mix reunion continues tonight and tomorrow at the Parkside Lounge, 317 Houston at Attorney. Visit this link for event info.
Meow Mix opened on the corner of Houston and Suffolk in 1996 and closed in 2004 — but its spirit clearly lives on.
