Madonna's Celeb-Packed Pride Party Raised $100,000 For LGBTQ+ Orgs

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Madonna's Celeb-Packed Pride Party Raised $100,000 For LGBTQ+ Orgs

In a sign that New York City is back open, LGBTQ+ celebrities packed out The Standard hotel to kick off Pride and raise money for charity.

On Thursday night, Madonna headlined the Boom X Pride event in a 1:30AM performance in the Boom Boom Room at The Standard Hotel in New York City. Her appearance was preceded by long lines, eager party-goers, and spaces that at times reached capacity. RuPaul's Drag Race alumni were out in full force with the likes of Violet Chachki, Symone, Gottmik, Gigi Goode, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, and Kandy Muse all in attendance. Symone led her extended House of Avalone family past the huddled masses and directly into the event while others like Lance Bass sat online. Designers Christian Siriano and Prabal Gurung, as well as models Leyna Bloom, Dara Allen, and Valentina Sampaio were also there.

Inside, things got hectic as no more than 40 minutes after Boom Boom Room opened, the oversized golden door was shut as the space had reached capacity. The likes of Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, and Benjamin Maisani were kept outside of it as security hoped to shuttle an unmoving crowd into the neighboring Le Bain space. At one point things became contentious as security began to physically shove someone they may have presumed to be a crasher but who was, in reality, working the event and passing out VIP wristbands. With a bit of patience, others like Adam Lambert finally made it in to the space where Madonna was set to perform.

Prior to her performance, Honey Dijon, Misshapes, Kaytranada, and Eli Escobar all played music.

Splashed across screens inside the Boom Boom Room was a video installation that was a collaboration between Madonna, Ricardo Gomes, and Sasha Kasiuha. Titled "No fear, Courage, Resist," the video was also played on video screens in Times Square.

During the event, Madonna performed "Hung Up" and "I Don't Search I Find," while standing on the lounge's bar.

"To not celebrate pride without people would have been a tragedy for me," she said during the performance. "Take nothing for granted because you never know what's waiting for all of us around the corner."

After the performance, Zachary Quinto helped to auction off three polaroids of Madonna. By the end of the night, the event had raised $100,000 for the Ali Forney Center and Haus of US.

photo by Angela Pham for BFA.com