The announcement of President-elect Joe Biden's victory this past weekend prompted an outpour of joy and cheer across the country. You could even say that it felt like Christmas morning.
And nowhere felt more like the North Pole than Los Angeles, where a video of Biden/Harris supporters dancing and singing at a gas station on Los Feliz Boulevard went viral. In the video, a group of masked people belt Mariah Carey's Christmas classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You." The impromptu party was hosted by comedians and writers Addie Weyrich and Demi Adejuyigbe, who can be seen dancing and holding a Biden/Harris sign on Weyrich's car — they started at 9:45 AM and went on until well into the evening.
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demi and I accidentally threw a gas station rager for seven hours today https://t.co/0PRcpsvmtp
— addie weyrich (@addieyomind) November 8, 2020
The video has now been watched over seven million times and reposted by dozens of celebrities like Demi Lovato, Sara Bareilles, and more. Elizabeth Banks wrote that this would be the "National Anthem until Jan 20.," while director Taika Waititi, who is currently in Australia, said "fomo level at 10000000 right now."
Even the queen Marian Carey herself responded to the celebratory clip. "Saw this last night during our own celebratory moments," she wrote of the video on Twitter. "Watching this and sharing the feelings of joy and happiness with you all!! Let's remember to stay safe so we can really have the most FESTIVE Christmas yet."
Saw this last night during our own celebratory moments! Watching this and sharing the feelings of joy and happiness with you all!!Let's remember to stay safe so we can really have the most FESTIVE Christmas yet 🎄🎄🎄🥳🥳🥳 https://t.co/vVnpPxUcVd
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) November 9, 2020
Twenty-four-year-old Weyrich is a Philadelphia native, and well versed in the act of street side celebrations. She was in her hometown when Obama was elected and when the Phillies won the world series in 2008, as well as when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018. So the idea of starting a surprise dance party at a random 76 gas station was just par for the course. "When you win, you and everyone you love — who love the same thing you love — go to the street and cause total chaotic good," Weyrich tells Refinery29 over the phone.
The day, as a whole, felt magical — a rainbow even appeared when the group played Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain On Me." "I knew we’d be happy but I didn’t realize we’d be spontaneous dance parties in the street happy. What a moment," comedian Sarah Cooper wrote of the joyful viral video.
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I knew we’d be happy but I didn’t realize we’d be spontaneous dance parties in the street happy. What a moment pic.twitter.com/8NsGheybEU
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) November 8, 2020
"My Biden/Harris sign I was holding says 'Fuck Trump' on the back, but you can only see the one side. I don't think there are any signs that say 'Trump' anywhere in the video," Weyrich says. "There is something nice and hopeful of being like, look, this is a really joyful moment, and he's not here at all. He's not here at all. We don't have to listen to him anymore. He doesn't matter and isn't important anymore."
Weyrich explains that in many ways the video encapsulates a feeling that many people around the country haven't let themselves feel in years. "It's a video showing pure joy, love, goofiness, silliness, and people losing their voices to a Christmas song in November," she continues, "There's no hate. There's just joy."
A lot of people since have been worried about the state of Weyrich's car, the roof of which she says is very dented, but as she tweeted, "Cars can be easily fixed! Our democracy is much harder!"
But still in the spirit of collective support, people have been sending her money anyway for repairs without her asking. Any extra money, Weyrich says, is going to SELAH, which offers clothing, food, and personal hygiene items to those experiencing homelessness. Weyrich, Adejuyigbe, and some of their other friends who celebrated that night helped phone bank for L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman who was also elected this year, and who co-founded the organization. "We were in Los Angeles partying on the streets," she says, "so it makes sense that we take care of the people who live there too."
People taking time to celebrate and look out for others is truly all we could ever want. Now, let's listen again, once more, for good measure.