August 10, 2026

By Jasmine Vojdani

Photo: Dean Majd

At its conception in 2024, the Rangarang Show was a fairly niche entry in the Middle Eastern party scene in New York: a Persian-language lip-sync battle named after a beloved pre-Revolution variety show in Iran that broadcast performances by the country’s greatest singers. The concept was nostalgia meets queer Brooklyn, and co-founders Milad Ahmadi and Mahya invited guests to wear ’70s disco glam and take turns performing. The first event drew an intergenerational and enthusiastic crowd, so they threw it a handful more times. They were gearing up for another bash slated for January 10 of this year — a sold-out party at the Sultan Room — as news broke that the Iranian government had shut down the internet and begun a violent crackdown on protesters. It was too late to cancel, they decided, so they transformed the event into a no-cost vigil where audience members could play music, read poetry, and donate to a human-rights organization supporting activists in Iran. Although the turnout was modest, the result was a moving ceremony. “People came with their instruments,” says Mahya. “It was one of the most beautiful events we’ve had because it was so genuine.”

When to celebrate has been a fraught question for the SWANA diaspora, the occasions for joy so frequently punctured by mourning. Tragedy in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon has given New Yorkers with ties to the region new reasons to gather, protest, and grieve, whether for their homeland or relatives, for their parents’ birthplace, or in solidarity with nations they consider neighbors. The founders of Rangarang (“colorful” in Persian) met during the Women Life Freedom movement in 2022, when Iranian New Yorkers discovered, as if for the first time, just how numerous they were. In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, two of the city’s most established parties, Laylit and Haza, temporarily paused, even though that meant one fewer place for the community to convene with the only people who knew exactly what they were going through.

Gossip, revelations, and timelines.

ADVERTISER CONTENT

Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. For more shopping advice, sign up to get the Cut Shop newsletter every Friday.

ADVERTISER CONTENT

A newsletter about sex and relationships.