You should expect to see a lot of people wearing purple or partying as a tribute to the musical icon following the days after Prince died suddenly at his home on Thursday, April 21. And no place is celebrating the life of the iconic singer more than his hometown of Minneapolis, where an all-night dance party in celebration of Prince took place on the night of his death. The party was particularly poignant since it was hosted at First Avenue, the music venue where Prince filmed significant portions of his movie Purple Rain. During its April 22 broadcast, Good Morning America reported the dance party was still going strong as of Friday morning — just as Prince would've wanted it.
Thousands of people filled the streets surrounding First Avenue during the night after Prince was found dead at the age of 57. Prince's home state of Minnesota had already honored its star with the state's major sports teams embracing Prince's signature color of purple, fans gathering outside of Prince's home of Paisley Park estate, and buildings and bridges being illuminated by purple lights. Prince was known for embracing his Minneapolis roots, and the city will continue to thank him for his endless musical contributions throughout the days following his death, with First Avenue continuing to throw parties starting at 1:30 a.m. throughout the weekend.
All of the dance parties hosted by First Avenue don't have a cover charge, and Time reported that they are being thrown as an opportunity for Prince fans to "share their emotions and celebrate Prince," according to First Avenue owner Dayna Frank. Although nearly a decade has passed since Prince last performed at First Avenue in 2007, the blow of Prince's death was still felt significantly by First Avenue as they posted on Facebook that Prince had "united" the city of Minneapolis.
However, Minneapolis wasn't the only city to host a block party for Prince following his death. Los Angeles saw dozens of Prince fans take to the streets to dance in remembrance, and Spike Lee hosted a street party in Brooklyn on the night of the singer's death.
Not only do hit songs by Prince like "Let's Go Crazy," "1999," and "Kiss" make for the perfect soundtrack for an all-night party, but Prince himself hosted pajama parties at his Paisley Park estate outside of Minneapolis in 2013 and 2015. With three nights of dance parties scheduled, it seems that First Avenue knew the perfect way to not only pay homage to Prince, but to give a space for fans to mourn and comprehend the death of this beloved artist. And what better way to celebrate the life of a man who inspired and brought joy to so many people with his musical talents than by singing and dancing?
