Overdrive – San Diego’s Monthly Fusion Dance Party

OVERDRIVE is San Diego’s only monthly after-hours for the LGBT community (& beyond)! We feature diverse, international DJ talent, high-energy & fun, friendly festival vibes. OVERDRIVE occurs the 3rd Saturday of each month at Spin Nightclub.

 

This Month

Friendships Formed. Minds Expanded. Nightlife Evolved.

Say what?!?! OVERDRIVE has been going on for a decade now?! Damn right we have, and it’s all thanks to YOU!!! Join us as we celebrate 10 years of monthly gatherings of our community in San Diego!

OVERDRIVE came about to fill a void in America’s Finest City and fill it you did! With your support, we raised the bar for evolved dance floor music, continuously pushed the envelope for cutting edge event production and created a distinct, diverse community & vibe. And just look at San Diego now! Not only are we on the gay nightlife map in the U.S., but we’re forging trends, attracting an international audience and sustaining a truly queer community and culture in our city. It’s time to celebrate all we have accomplished together!

For this special 10-year anniversary event, we will deliver an evolved OVERDRIVE. One room, one community, one DJ, and one epic 5-hour journey through the sounds that brought our community together then, unite us now and will propel us into a beautiful new future with one of the most legendary DJ’s in our scene, Morabito! We will feature a one night only “main event” style production, smokin’ hot dancers to work you into a frenzy and inspire your vibe, plus our signature lighting, lasers, custom Funktion-One sound and the welcoming, friendly vibes that have connected our community for a decade now! Entrance is FREE before 10pm (with registration on this page) and champagne is on us from 9pm – 10pm. Let’s party like only San Diego can!!!

The word “legendary” rolls off the tongue easily and often these days, but in the world of music and nightlife that story is usually told in the past tense. Unless the legend happens to be Susan Morabito. Few names have dominated the dance scene over the course of three decades and remain as relevant, current and celebrated as Morabito.

Susan moved to New York City in 1987, and after opening her own record store in Greenwich Village called BPM, she had her breakthrough as a DJ when she landed a multi-year summer residence at the famed Pavilion in Fire Island Pines. In the early days of AIDS activism, she provided the musical inspiration at many international fundraising parties and became a sought after name on “the circuit”. The GMHC Morning Party on Fire Island, Dance On Washington and Cherry in Washington, D.C., Blue Ball and Blue Redo in Philadelphia, Zoo Party in San Diego, Alegria in New York, Gay Days in Orlando, White Party in Palm Springs, Big Guns on the USS Intrepid for the 25th anniversary of Stonewall and the 20th anniversary of Dance On The Pier in New York are just a few of the events she played.

She kept people dancing until sunrise at after hours events during both Miami’s Winter Party and White Party weekends, and her own Equinox and Climax parties became part of NYC nightlife history. She was the first woman to headline (with DJ Paulo one year and Victor Calderone another) one of the most famous dance parties in the world, the sexually infused, leather themed Saint At Large Black Party in New York City. Among many others, she also played The Saint At Large White Party with Peter Rauhofer and Twilo Halloween with Danny Tenaglia.

Susan Morabito has graced every major club and sound system in NYC, including Twilo, Roxy, Tunnel, Sound Factory, Limelight, Palladium, Roseland, Cielo, Pacha, Webster Hall, XL and Stage Forty8. Her musical reach extends to gigs in Tokyo, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Milan, Amsterdam and across New York’s cultural landscape, where she created the soundscapes to many must-attend galas by Calvin Klein, American Ballet Theater, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Sotheby’s, Martha Stewart, Anna Wintour and Robert Isabel. Susan was also the musical director for the fashion world’s most luminous event, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit gala tribute to icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

In 2013 Susan dropped her first name and introduced a visual identity to emphasize and support a new musical direction as “just” Morabito. Because of her instinctual understanding of music’s power and her ability to drive the night with a wide range of tribal, underground, progressive and tech house, the project was enthusiastically received by the community. The past two years brought a quarterly residency at Viva in New York, repeated major club bookings in Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Provincetown, San Francisco, Montreal, Washington and Chicago, and saw Morabito headlining the WE Party in New York and San Francisco, Masterbeat for New Year’s Eve and Halloween in Los Angeles, White Horizons during White Party Week in Miami, The Pines Party with Chus+Ceballos on Fire Island and after 22 years, the return to the main event for the 25th anniversary of the famous Black & Blue festival in Montreal.

A new generation is now discovering and raving about the impeccable taste and rare ability to create a cohesive and seamless experience on the dance floor that sets Morabito apart and that earned her the appreciation and respect of dancers and peers alike. Through a new focus on music production and remixing she will take her meticulous standards and craft well into the future and will ensure that the legend continues.

☆ A one night only “main event” style anniversary production, smokin’ hot dancers, plus our signature lighting, lasers, Funktion-One sound and festival vibes!

☆ A unique, 5-hour sonic journey by one of the most legendary DJ’s in our scene, Morabito!

☆ Entrance is FREE before 10pm (with registration on this page)! Champagne is on us from 9pm – 10pm.

☆ All friendly, queer-supportive communities welcome! #PLUR

UNITE! Music Festival – San Diego Pride’s Parties

Are you ready for something new, fresh and VERY exciting?!  We’re thrilled to share the details of our supersized 7th anniversary edition of UNITE! Music Festival, the official parties of San Diego Pride!

We will feature three world-class main nighttime events by OVERDRIVE, Masterbeat and WÜF! at Encore Event Center with two fully customized, immersive indoor stages (an expansive Main Stage with an extremely diverse, international musical landscape spanning the electronic music spectrum from deep and progressive house & tribal to progressive trance & techno and an intimate Side Stage where a single artist will take you on one long, expanding journey through sound) and a massive outdoor staging area with decked out bars, lit-up trees, colorful shade sails, comfy lounge furniture, food trucks, a thoughtfully curated Vendor Village, ample bathroom trailers, and a fun and funky DJ booth and dance area on the lawn.  The entire space is our playground for the weekend and we aim to make it memorable, playful and booming with diverse sonic options!

For the sunlight hours, we will feature two distinct events.  On Saturday, we will introduce you to our new daytime massive, Sea Party!  Making it’s debut splash at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, this venue is an architectural wonder on the edge of San Diego Bay and the heart of downtown.  It is a state-of-the-art concert venue that elevates the experience of live music with fully immersive sound throughout the 13,000 square feet of performance space.  Besides the visual splendor of the natural setting by the bay and the architectural drama that is The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park itself, we will fully produce the space to turn it into an iconic celebration of pride, equality, diversity, individuality and joy!  From the laser DJ booth, expansive LED walls, pyro features, stunning sea creature dancer costumes, live VJ sea visuals and epic party lighting, prepare to be wowed!!!  What’s more, this event will be your chance to party with a purpose!  100% of the profits will be donated to San Diego Pride in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally. Note: due to venue restrictions, Sea Party tickets can ONLY be purchased on the San Diego Symphony website and are NOT included in any weekend pass.  Tickets are available via this link.  Text JOIN to 833-243-4088 for future event updates.

On Sunday afternoon, we will feature the return of the most talked about event of San Diego Pride 2022, our#UNITED WE GROOVEsunset harbor cruise!  Join us as we sail through the beautiful San Diego Harbor on board the largest yacht in SoCal, The Inspiration Hornblower.  This aquatic beauty features 28,000 square feet of event space, an enclosed interior deck, an open-air sky deck rising 30 feet off the water with our signature octopus stage on top, booming sound, hypnotic visuals, seductive dancers and 360-degree views of downtown San Diego!  Come see what all the buzz is about and let our carefully selected musical maestro’s take you on a journey through the progressive sounds of sunsets from Ibiza and beyond!

We program our weekend of events from start to finish with a keen ear on the audible journey we aim to take you on; promoting connection, healing and growth through dance floor therapy.  Throw in our infamous festival-style “PLUR vibes” for unity, a friendly, diverse crowd (ALL ARE WELCOME HERE), liberating fun designed to facilitate self-expression, cutting-edge technology in lighting, laser show, video artist & LED production and top-of-the-line sound design, and you’ll understand why UNITE! Music Festival is a one-of-a-kind, not-to-be-missed annual event!

7/14/23 Friday 10:00PM-4:00AM
WÜF! @ Encore Event Center
Co-Produced by Turn
Karsten Sollors (USA) – 10:00PM-1:00AM
Joe Pacheco (USA) – 1:00AM-4:00AM
Lawn DJ
 – Dirty Kurty (USA) – 12:00AM-4:00AM

7/15/23 Saturday 4:00PM-10:00PM
The Sea Party @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Dirty Kurty (USA) – 4:00PM-5:30PM
Sharon O’Love (UK) – 5:30PM-7:00PM
Mor Avrahami (TLV) – 7:00PM-8:30PM
CALAGNA (USA) – 8:30PM-10:00PM

7/15/23 Saturday 10:00PM-6:00AM
OVERDRIVE @ Encore Event Center
Co-Produced by Turn
Paul Cowling (USA) – 10:00PM-12:00AM
Yinon Yahel (TLV) – 12:00AM-2:00AM
Pagano (UK) – 2:00AM-4:00AM
J Warren (USA) – 4:00AM-6:00AM
Side Stage DJ
 – Jinx Mirage (USA) – 12:00AM-6:00AM
Lawn DJ
 – Kimberly S (USA) – 12:00AM-6:00AM

7/16/23 Sunday 4:00PM-10:00PM
#UNITED WE GROOVE @ Inspiration Hornblower
Luccio (USA) – 4:00PM-5:00PM
Kristina Sky (USA) – 5:00PM-6:15PM
Roger Shah Presents “Sunlounger” *San Diego Debut* (DE) – 6:15PM-7:30PM
Giuseppe Ottaviani Presents “Horizons” *San Diego Debut* (IT) – 7:30PM-8:45PM
Ciaran McAuley (IE) – 8:45PM-10:00PM

7/16/23 Sunday 10:00PM-8:00AM
Masterbeat @ Encore Event Center
Co-Produced by Masterbeat & Turn
K-Swift (USA) – 10:00PM-12:00AM
GSP (USA) – 12:00AM-4:00AM
Nina Flowers (USA) – 4:00AM-8:00AM
Side Stage DJ 
– Sharon O’Love (UK) – 12:00AM-4:00AM
Lawn DJ
 – B8 (USA) – 12:00AM-4:00AM

#UNITED WE GROOVE

Join us as we sail through the beautiful San Diego Harbor on board the largest yacht in SoCal, The Inspiration Hornblower. This aquatic beauty features 28,000 square feet of event space, an enclosed interior deck, an open-air sky deck rising 30 feet off the water with our signature octopus stage on top, booming sound, hypnotic visuals, seductive dancers and 360-degree views of downtown San Diego! Come see what all the buzz is about and let our carefully selected musical maestro’s take you on a journey through the progressive sounds of sunsets from Ibiza and beyond!

#UNITED WE GROOVE is 1 of 5 pride events produced during UNITE! Music Festival (San Diego Pride’s official parties). We program our weekend of events from start to finish with a keen ear on the audible journey we aim to take you on; promoting connection, healing and growth through dance floor therapy. Throw in our infamous festival-style “PLUR vibes” for unity, a friendly, diverse crowd (ALL ARE WELCOME HERE), liberating fun designed to facilitate self-expression, cutting-edge technology in lighting, laser show, video artist & LED production and top-of-the-line sound design, and you’ll understand why UNITE! Music Festival is a one-of-a-kind, not-to-be-missed annual event!

#UNITED WE GROOVE @ Inspiration Hornblower

7/16/23 Sunday 4:00PM-10:00PM

  • Luccio (USA) – 4:00PM-5:00PM
  • Kristina Sky (USA) – 5:00PM-6:15PM
  • Roger Shah Presents “Sunlounger” *San Diego Debut* (DE) – 6:15PM-7:30PM
  • Giuseppe Ottaviani Presents “Horizons” *San Diego Debut* (IT) – 7:30PM-8:45PM
  • Ciaran McAuley *San Diego Debut* (IE) – 8:45PM-10:00PM

Inspiration Hornblower, Pier 1, 1800 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101

  • Boarding: 4:00 – 5:00 PM – Don’t Miss The Boat!
  • Cruising: 5:00 – 10:00 PM