Dancing with the Gods: A Night of Lights, Music, and Magic at the Grand Central Festival Benefit
The last of the sunset had faded into the city lights as I made my way along East 42nd Street and into a sea of people at the annual Grand Central Festival Benefit (GCFB) in Midtown Manhattan. I paused just before Park Avenue, turning towards the station. The crowd around me murmured as what looked like a enormous paintbrushes began to splash color across Grand Central Station’s southern facade, painting all the arches, cornices, parapets and pediments. Its columns rippled and churned as though made of liquid gold. Above the main portal, the grand clock’s face shifted into a psychedelic mandala; its hands danced, multiplied and pirouetted, weaving fading tracers into a colorful tapestry.
Mercury, god of commerce and communication, left his perch and stepped down in front of the clock and extended his staff high, sending a shower of silver greetings in various languages slowly cascading down the facade. Hercules, the embodiment of strength, turned and seemed to push against the very boundaries of the building, his muscles straining as he contorted and expanded the architecture. The goddess of wisdom, Minerva, walked down a short flight of stairs and began to write out mathematical formulas on the facade with her stylus, golden sparks flying with each stroke. Lady Liberty, representing the Roman god of freedom, emerged from a portal in her blue-green robes, her torch glowing bright. She beckoned the rest to join her under the clock where they hung up their tools and joined hands.
The unmistakable rhythms of Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s "Empire State of Mind" began to play over the loudspeakers as the four giant gods started to dance. The crowd erupted into cheers and movement, bodies swaying, hands reaching towards the illuminated facade.
Dancing in the streets of Manhattan, under the animated gaze of those four ancient gods, it was impossible not to feel a part of something bigger, something enchantingly beautiful—a celebration of the enduring spirit of New York City and the strength, diversity, wisdom and freedom of its people.
Around me, the streets were buzzing with activity. Families wandered about, stopping at stages or looking at art that lined the streets. Storefronts like Banana Republic had transformed into canvases, featuring large murals on wooden boards over their glass windows portraying New York scenes done by local artists. I paused to take in one of the panels, a vibrant depiction of the city's skyline imagined in what the sign said was the year 2045 - its optimism made me feel a swell of pride in calling this city my home.
I stopped to read a sign about how they powered the festival - apparently all the lights and speakers and electronics were completely powered by electricity that had been collected by solar panels. All the toilets they’d constructed for festival-goers were composting toilets made from wood and steel - truly an elevated and less smelly experience compared to classic plastic porta-potties.
Grand Central Station, the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, is a remarkable blend of the past and present. Rising up from the streets of central Manhattan, it stands surrounded by modern glass, steel, and concrete structures towering thousands of feet into the air. The station's facade, a tribute to the Beaux-Arts architectural style, features a 50-foot pediment depicting Roman gods Minerva, Hercules, and Mercury, a masterful sculpture by Jules-Felix Coutan, and a 13-foot clock, the world's largest example of Tiffany glass. These architectural gems, coupled with the station's rich history dating back to its completion in 1913, added to the grandeur of the GCFB experience.
As the evening progressed, the neon colors of the projections on the station were reflected in the faces of the festival-goers, their bodies swaying rhythmically to the beats that echoed off the skyscrapers. The DJ transitioned seamlessly from one track to another, each song a tribute to the diverse musical heritage of New York. The fusion of light and sound, history and modernity, was a sensory overload of the best kind.
Amid the dancing crowd, pop-up food stalls offered an assortment of New York's famous street food: hot dogs, soft pretzels, halal plates, and the city's signature pizza slices out of miniature ovens. The scents wafting through the air added another layer to the overall experience. I grabbed a cheese slice paying a bit of a premium but knowing that part of the proceeds would go towards the overall fundraiser for organizations helping improve access to arts and music education around the five boroughs.
Street performers, not to be outdone by the light show, added their own flair to the atmosphere. Breakdancers spun and flipped to the beat, their moves mirrored by the dynamic light show illuminating the station facade. A person in a beautifully constructed robot outfit juggled half a dozen glowing orbs.
Away from the main crowd, I ventured to a silent disco nestled in between Park and Lexington on 42nd. Dozens of people dancing with headphones on, each in their own world, yet synced to a central rhythm.
Close to 10pm, a surprise fireworks display lit up the sky above the station. The crowd gasped and cheered as the thousands of panes of glass on the surrounding buildings created a kaleidoscopic effect for the colorful starbursts. The beats from the DJ's decks seemed to punctuate each burst of color, the music and lights intertwining in a beautiful dance of their own.
With the DJ’s last note fading into the city's soundtrack, the light wound down, the images receding back into the stonework. GCFB is more than just a festival—it's a celebration of New York's indomitable spirit, a testament to its rich history, and a tribute to its thriving arts scene. It's an event that brings together people from all walks of life to dance, to connect, and to revel in the magic of the city we call home.