Mehanata at Speigeltent September 27, 2006 Written by Eve Hyman

There is a party in New York put on by gypsies in a glass tent on the ocean. This Bulgarian Party (also known as Mehanata) originated in Chinatown at Canal and Broadway five years ago. It is popular with Eastern Europeans, South Americans and NYU students. DJ Hutz was the resident DJ, before Gogol Bordello became a global force. Now DJ Joro-Boro holds it down with Mehanata’s signature gypsy-punk-house musical concoctions.

This summer, the Menahata party became a weekly event at Spiegeltent. Spiegeltent, located on the north side of the South Street Seaport, is a traveling venue, much in the vein of a glamorous, old circus tent one might see on the set of the film “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” Spiegelworld.com describes the venue as, “a wondrous 1920’s venue of billowing velvet, stained-glass, teak, and a thousand mirrors.”

Spiegeltent (the tented show) has been on the road for the last one hundred years. It originated in Belgium at the turn of the last century and has made its way all over the world as a part of arts festivals and fairs. The tent is made of teak and beveled mirrors and it is a large puzzle to configure. Since it is portable, the mirrors, banquets, merry-go-round style support poles, aluminum bars and stage must be assembled at each locale. The family that owns it (the Van Rosmalens) holds the secret to the proper formation of the puzzle. The Van Rosmalens also own four other tents, including one that is stationary and located in the Netherlands. Spiegeltent arrived in Manhattan in August and will be here through the end of September.

On September 27, 2006, I caught the end of Gothamist’s Movable Hype 9.0 party which featured a performance by The Rogers Sisters. Spiegeltent was the perfect rock venue with an old world/other world feel. Outside Mehanata revelers moved under the moonlight, driven by the gypsy-punk mash-ups. Onlookers reclined on benches with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was truly a beautiful place to enjoy living on the island of Manhattan.

For more information on Mehanata, log onto www.mehanata.com. For more information on Spiegeltent, log onto www.spiegelworld.com.