Think you know everything the Flatiron District has to offer? Think again! On Thursday, November 15th, that irrepressible oddball Dos Equis celebrity who goes by the moniker of “Most Interesting Man in the World” took the neighborhood by storm – at 71 West 23rd Street, to be exact – by launching a full-blown promotional masquerade bash, fueled by 750 cases of Dos Equis’ finest brews and the endless energy of as many as eighteen hundred invited guests.

All present enjoyed the locale, sights, and scenes of our beloved Flatiron District – and, one would think, sampled some excellent beer (as was done by staffers of NYCSCC’s Flatiron Hot! News who were there as well – off duty, of course).

DJ Diplo and supporting act DJ Kobra Krames provided the tunes and the charisma to keep the party going into the early morning hours. Attendees looking to take a break or even avoid the dance floor altogether had much to keep them occupied, including but not limited to real live birds of prey, Bigfoot, and complimentary barbecue-flavored maggots. Yum!

The event kicked off with a brief speech by “the Man” himself, igniting the disproportionately young and hip crowd with his “stay thirsty” catchphrase and leaving behind a scene that would impress even the most jaded clubbers. The festivities raged on four separate floors at 71 West 23rd, including the fabled Grand Lodge Room, which you may know is a replica of the Titanic’s long lost stateroom, which was at times packed almost to capacity, and as throngs of attendees decked out in feathers, ballroom masks and all manner of outlandish costumes drank, danced and conversed.

The beer flowed free and plentiful, but surprisingly there were no brawls, drunken meltdowns, or hospitalizations. Ample security seemed for the most part at ease with potentially rambunctious crowds, joking around and trading stories in a totally laid-back, non-confrontational manner.

Indeed, an atmosphere of overwhelming positivity permeated the entire event, as it flowed across the ample four floors and seven rooms, each locale possessing its own distinct flavor. Dos Equis truly provided something for everyone, even including those not exclusively interested in beer and clubbing.

To begin with, body-painting artist Craig Tracy offered his services, adding some additional flavor to the night by helping attendees blend in with the event’s colorful, carnivalesque atmosphere.

Fans of elusive (or, as most experts would claim, fictional) animals had something to get excited about, with the International Cryptozoology Museum displaying a meticulously-sculpted model of the ever-elusive Bigfoot (aka, Sasquatch, Yeti, etc.), among other odd wildlife. Renowned cryptozoologist Loren Coleman was even on hand to answer questions about the exhibit and his controversial area of study.

Those with less exotic taste in animals were invited to meet a bevy of colorful birds, whose jubilant squawking seemed to indicate that they were just as excited to be present as their homo sapiens admirers.

Birds and Bigfoots were not the only intriguing specimens to catch the eye of attendees last Thursday night. Also impossible to miss were the lovely and outlandishly-attired ladies and gentlemen standing on podiums, their flawless forms eerily lit by an arrangement of candles. Their motionless bodies stood in stark contrast to the flailing hair and limbs of the surrounding dancers.

When they were not dancing their hearts out, attendees took full advantage of the events and scenery, both human and synthetic, posing for pictures with their buddies or simply luxuriating and basking in the unique, thoroughly bizarre sites not likely to seen at a typical Chelsea-Flatiron club. Indeed, the same can be said for the whole night. The Most Interesting Man in the World and Dos Equis certainly lived up to their names, providing an event that is as difficult to define (Was it a masquerade? An art exhibition? A traveling carnival?) as it will be for attendees to forget. Bravo, Dos Equis!

Report Compiled by Eric Shapiro – Photos by Rob Mckay – Flatiron News and Bulletin Staff