There may have been a heat wave—and Taylor Swift’s wedding—in New York City, but a few hours away in Montauk, the scene was just as hot. The Fourth of July weekend at Surf Lodge is always the it place to be, and this time around, the Hamptons hotspot went bigger than ever to ring in America’s 250th birthday.
For the star-studded celebrations, founder Jayma Cardoso and her team pulled out all the stops. The four-day lineup featured some of house music’s biggest DJs—and also Snoop Dogg, who’s never performed at the iconic East End location before. “I never book based on who’s trending,” Cardoso told Vogue. “I book artists who can create a feeling. Whether it’s a huge name or someone you’ve never heard of, I want every set to become a memory.”
The weekend’s festivities, presented alongside Nylon, kicked off on Thursday, just in time for out-of-towners and city-based 9-5ers to land in for sunset sets by DJ Mei Kwok and headliner Murda Beatz. It may have been a cooler 79-degrees out in Montauk, but that didn’t stop the refreshing glasses of Frosé from flowing—and copious amounts of Neutrogena sunscreen doing the rounds. On Friday, Hugel—who’s currently on tour—also made a pit stop to keep the energy high on Fort Pond, before jetting back off to Las Vegas.
Saturday evening was the pinnacle of the weekend. The whole beach town was buzzing with excitement—with many trying to secure last minute wristbands to catch the one-and-only Snoop Dogg. “I have been trying to book Snoop for years, and honestly I could not be happier that he was in town for Michael Rubin’s White Party and the stars aligned,” Cardosa said. The rapper came out just in time for golden hour to perform some of his greatest hits, sending the crowd wild. Guests listened to favorites like P.I.M.P, Gin and Juice, Drop It Like It’s Hot, and California Gurls—which went down a treat with the actual Cali girls and guys in attendance, such as Zack Bia, Anastasia Karanikolaou, Sydney Lynn Carlson, Kelsey Calamine, and Carter Gregory.
Although thunderstorms were looming all weekend long, guests were spared from the rain and thunder until right after Carlita’s set finished. That meant that attendees like Central Cee, Tate McRae, Alix Earle, Arch Manning, Trey Murphy, and the entire cast of Bravo’s Summer House could dance and tuck into Popeye’s chicken tender towers without a care in the world.
While every Fourth of July weekend is a memorable one for the Surf Lodge team, the monumental celebration of America’s 250 years of independence made it extra special. “This year, there was an extra sense of gratitude. We live in a world that can feel so divided, and for one weekend, people put their phones down, danced together, watched the sunset, and simply enjoyed being present. Those moments matter,” Cardoso said. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t already mentally moving on to the next bash. In fact she already has a headliner in mind—Central Cee, should he be available. “I was thrilled when Central Cee joined the festivities. He is another one I’ve been trying to book for years. He was enjoying himself, so hopefully it will happen one day.”
