By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
All Photos Courtesy of Royce Soble Documenting 14 years of Sunday Service
After over 14 years of monthly and seasonal Sunday parties at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Bar, the revered Sunday Service, founded and hosted by Vicki Powell, is having its last dance at the close of this year’s Atlanta Pride festival. We spoke to Vicki about the significance of the longest-running queer party in Atlanta talked future plans for Vicki and the Deep South DJ collective.
Atlanta’s queer community had shock waves going through it when it was recently announced that the Pride Sunday Service party would also be the last. Can you share al little bit of background as to the impressive tenure and significance that this party has had in the last 14 years?
14 years ago, when Grant decided to open Church, I had a concept called “Sunday Service” that I thought would be perfect for the venue. At the time, I had a Sunday event on Edgewood at Noni’s called Sunsets. Initially, Grant wasn’t sure about having DJ’s at Church. He always envisioned Church being a dive bar with a jukebox and no TVs. With a bit of reluctance, he gave me the go ahead to try it out one Sunday, and it was an immediate success, so he agreed to have us back.
What elements do you think have contributed to the success of Sunday Service?
I believe the long-running success of the party has always been about the joy and fellowship that people felt during Sunday Service. It truly has been a place to celebrate queer joy and has never charged a cover. A true labor of love for the community. We are proud to have been the longest-running queer Sunday dance party in Atlanta.
Can you also share why you and the Deep South crew have chosen to end the party at Sister Louisa’s?
We as a collective have always been exploring new ideas and concepts, and as the party grew in size over the years, we had to make the difficult decision to pivot and evolve to support the comfort and integrity of our artistic vision. We realized that it was time to maybe reinvent our concept a little while still keeping the sense of community that a Deep South and Sunday Service party embodies. We will forever be grateful to Church for the space they have provided us for the past 14 years. Sunday Service can never be replaced, but because we are ending it on a high note, we have the best possible foundation to create a new party space out there. The dance floor lives on.
Looking back, what have been some of your favorite moments from the party in the last 14 years?
By far one of my favorite moments was Fred Schneider of the B-52’s walking in on Easter Sunday wearing a huge Easter Bonnet and dancing his ass off all night.
For this last dance for Sunday Service on Sunday, October 13 at Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living do you need a ticket for entry and when does it start? And what can we expect?
The party starts at 6 pm and it is free, but space is very limited so arrive early to secure entry. Please bring cash and be patient with the bar staff and each other. Tip well. Laugh. Love. Dance. Look out for one another, because it will be bumper to bumper on the dance floor.