Disco on Derby closes out summer in support of firefighters association

Derby Road looked like a scene out of a hazy memory of ‘Saturday Night Fever’ or a smoke-brained Canadian’s reimagining of Studio 54 in its heyday.

Crystal Beach’s annual Disco on Derby drew hundreds of locals to the temporarily closed Derby Road, where crowds boogied under the disco ball to ’70s dance hits in their most colourful Saturday-night best from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Fake afros and real chest hair weren’t the only eye-catchers at the event. Two donation boots for the Crystal Ridge Volunteer Firefighters Association were placed at the disco entry and beside the beer table.

Donations were not necessary but strongly encouraged.

Local realtor Phil Smith, who owns South Coast Cookhouse and Hotel Philco, said Disco on Derby night has become a fixture of the summer since its start in 2010.

“It’s quickly become a highlight of the summer. That’s the number one question I get, when is it coming back around,” said Smith.

Crowds packed the block and patios as hits by James Brown, KC and the Sunshine Band and more kept the energy high.

“The funny thing about disco is that the moment the music hits, people are dancing. I mean, you can’t listen to ‘70s music and not feel good,” said Smith.

A best-costume contest also added stakes for partygoers to dust off their bell bottoms and sequins, and strut like a young John Travolta onto the crowded dance floor.

Beyond the dance floor, Smith pointed to the event’s purpose for the neighbourhood.

“We try to build that community spirit and that community vibrancy, and we want to perpetuate that sort of notion that there’s always something fun going on here,” said Smith.

The event was approved by the Crystal Beach BIA along with their Derby Days initiative which saw Derby Road closed between Erie and Cambridge roads during the summer and fall for community events.

The street party sent summer out on a high note, filling both the patios and the donation boots to the brim thanks to the time-tested, but not exactly timeless, joy of disco.

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