It was the evening of June 13, and Aloki Batra had opening night jitters.
“My biggest fear was, ‘Oh my god, the Pacha opening turns out to be inauspicious, and the Knicks don’t win in five, and I’ve got 5,000 people on the dance floor upset, but trying to sort of enjoy because they paid for a ticket,’” he says.
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But earlier in the day Batra — CEO of FIVE Hospitality and The Pacha Group — had seen a rainbow over the New York City skyline and just had a feeling that the opening of his newest property, Pacha New York, would go well. He was right. By 11:30 that night, the 5,000 people on the dancefloor were screaming with joy as they watched the New York Knicks win the NBA Finals on the massive screen hugging the club’s dancefloor. Here, the team’s first championship win in 53 years was soundtracked by New York dance world royalty Danny Tenaglia, who played Frank Sinatra’s “Theme From New York, New York” as the crowd, Batra included, cheered and danced.
“I don’t think I could have had a happier moment in my life,” Batra says.
