Drinking & Dancing

Good-Bye Leto, Hello Autumn By Arina Birstein

Issue 10 October 7 - November 4, 2004

All summer on weekend nights, the city’s drivers were forced to look for bypasses around an important thoroughfare, Yauzskaya Ulitsa — thanks to a collection of ostentatiously expensive cars parked chaotically all over the place, blocking traffic from midnight to early morning.

The temporary summer nightclub Leto was to blame, a club that since its opening has been one of the very few places to be for the trendy elite.

But now, with summer gone, Leto’s time is also coming to an end with a closing party on Oct. 16. Naturally, the club’s promotion team wants the club to go out in style — and they’re bringing out the big guns, in the form of Grace Jones. A star of this caliber should need no introduction, but for those to whom this name might not ring a bell, watch the “Conan” film trilogy to get a visual impression.

A table reservation is an entry requirement: $1,500 a table for early reservation, potentially rising as high as $7,000 a table on the night. At least drinks are included.

After Leto’s closure, the promo team is not going on vacation: its new project, Osen (Autumn) is due to open on Halloween night. This new club is to differ from Zima and Leto in that the venue is not being built from scratch, but rather has been inherited from restaurant Serebryanny Vek on glamorous Tretyakovsky Proyezd. The promoters plan to present international DJs Curtis Mantronic and Lee Cabrera as monthly residents on the second and third Saturdays of the month. Booking policy is also set to change, implemented by the Defected Records label. Kid Cream and Junior Jack are the special guests signed for the opening night on Oct. 30. Wear a creative carnival costume to gain entry.