Scenes from Sunday's joyful Soul Summit dance party in Fort Greene Park

Hundreds of house heads got all sexy and sweaty (and little rained on) at the 21st annual dance party

By 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, just an hour after the annual Soul Summit party officially kicked off, the plaza by the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park was packed with delirious, sweaty dancers — hundreds of people rocking to non-stop house bangers.

This was the 21st summer that the DJ collective — founded in 2002 by DJs Sadiq Bellamy, Tabu and Jeff Mendoza — have hosted their free queer-friendly Soul Summit dance party, an intergenerational, super-diverse, freeform house dance family affair. And though the threat (and eventual reality) of rain seemed to discourage some of the all-day picnickers that have filled the park lawns in years past, there was no shortage of people moving their bodies for hours to old-school favorites on the green.

Photo by Scott Lynch

“Wow! What a blessing. Twenty-one years of Soul Summit Music bringing the Brooklyn community, and people from all over the world, together. It’s a beautiful thing,” said Bellamy on Sunday. “Our love is here, where it all started, Fort Greene Park, for free. It’s free love!”

In addition to music, played at an admirably loud volume, the Soul Summit Festival featured dozens of local vendors selling food, beverages, clothing, wellness products and stylish accessories. It is a true community gathering, and unlike any other scene in Brooklyn. Here are a few more images from the day.

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

(Photo by Scott Lynch)

There’s been no official announcement yet, but most summers Soul Summit throws a second free dance party in the park in early August, so follow them on Instagram or check in with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy for details.

And for a deeper look at Soul Summit, its evolution in the face of Fort Greene’s gentrification, and what these dance parties mean for Brooklyn’s Black and queer communities, watch this short film “Soul Summit: Doin’ it in the Park” by Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa, the couple behind Black-Owned Brooklyn.