St. Pete, your moment has arrived. Burwoodland, the live entertainment company behind touring themed dance parties like Emo Night Brooklyn, Broadway Rave, and Gimme Gimme Disco, is bringing its Heated Rivalry Night to Bayboro Brewing Co. (2390 5th Ave S) on Friday, May 8. Doors open at 9 p.m., it’s 18 and up, and you’ve officially run out of excuses.
For the uninitiated: the Heated Rivalry Night dance party is a touring event built entirely around the HBO Max phenomenon that somehow snuck up on all of us. The six-episode hockey romance series, originally produced by smaller Canadian streamer Crave, got picked up by HBO Max and promptly became a global phenomenon. Based on Rachel Reid’s books, the show follows Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two hockey rivals navigating a decade-long love story with the kind of emotional complexity that makes you feel personally attacked by a television program.
The show’s stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, went from relative unknowns to presenting at the Golden Globes, carrying the Olympic torch through Italy, walking international fashion week runways in Milan and Paris, and Connor hosting SNL with Hudson showing up as a surprise guest. Donatella Versace posted about wanting to go to the cottage. This isn’t a niche internet obsession anymore. It’s a whole thing.
Episode five at one point held a rare perfect 10/10 score on IMDb, tying it with Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias” as one of the highest-rated TV episodes ever. Three books feature Shane and Ilya, a seventh was just announced, and the streaming records are almost comically impressive. This isn’t a niche internet thing anymore. This is a thing.
Now it’s a dance party
And it has its own sound. Burwoodland’s version of this party leans fully into the show’s specific emotional register: the show’s soundtrack alongside 2010s music that swings between aggressive, heart-pounding energy and dramatic, soul-wrecking release. Think side-eye across the room, screaming lyrics at strangers, and letting tension live a little too long. Episode five of the show holds a rare perfect 10/10 on IMDb, tied with Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias.” The books have been flying off shelves. A seventh was just announced. Season 2 is confirmed. There’s genuinely no ceiling on this.
You’ll find the St. Pete party somewhere in the feeling of all of that. Costume possibilities abound, naturally. A Hollanov jersey, your sharpest 2008-2018 club era look, or Ilya’s leopard print vintage Gaultier shirt that hasn’t left anyone’s brain since episode three.
Grab your tickets now and get ready to absolutely lose it to THAT Wolf Parade song on a Friday night in May.