Photos: The Joyous Soul Summit Dance Party In Fort Greene Park

The best free dance party of the summer happened on Sunday in Fort Greene Park, sorry if you were out of town at some kind of fancy beach house thing and missed out. The occasion was Soul Summit, a wild, joyous afternoon of old-school house music blasted onto the huge patio below the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.

Thousands of people showed up to get crazy to the classics spun by the legendary DJ collective and, really, you will not see a more ecstatic group of people than these beautiful old house heads jumping around, spinning and sweating to the songs and remixes of their (and my) youth. But the day isn't only about the music, large groups show up as early as 5 a.m. to stake out prime picnic spots next to the dance floor, setting up tents, folding chairs and tables laden with food. By the time dancing starts the surrounding grounds are covered with revelers.

A few food vendors were happy to feed anyone who didn't bring their own, and there was plenty of booze available from dozens of unofficial sources, something to keep in mind when the second Soul Summit rolls around on Sunday, August 4th—same location, same great DJs, same off-the-charts enthusiasm, smooth moves, and a whole lot of love.

Pro tip: the music usually starts around 2:30, and if you hit it then you can get a good two hours of dancing in before the floor gets too packed to keep kicking it.