Jane Castor wants you to boogie your way through the coronavirus pandemic with nightly social distance dance parties

The city of Tampa is partnering with local radio stations to bring a little joy to an otherwise somber society transformed into isolation amid ongoing social distancing efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Radio stations part of the iHeartMedia network are launching a Tampa Bay area karaoke dance party in an effort to unite the community.

Starting Monday night, every night six Tampa Bay radio stations will broadcast the same song at the same time. Tampa officials are encouraging area residents to use the few moments at 6 p.m. each night as an excuse to go out into their driveways and play the song while dancing and waving to neighbors, from a safe distance of course.

“I know times are hard, but that’s why now more than ever we need to come together as a community–even if it’s online and over the airwaves,” Mayor

Jane Castor said. “This is an opportunity to step outside, take a break, and have some much-needed fun.”

“In Tampa, even while we are apart we are never alone; and by tuning in to the same music, we can take a moment to sing, dance, and find ways to be happy at home. There’s nothing like some great music to uplift our community’s spirit and remind us that we will get through this together,” she added.

The first song Monday evening will be “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Once the nightly event launches the city and radio stations plan to crowdsource future songs to play in unison.

Community members are also encouraged to share photos and videos of their karaoke dance parties on social media by tagging @cityoftampa and their favorite iHeartMedia stations, and by using the hashtag #HappyAtHomeTPA.

Participating radio stations include 93.3FLZ, Mix 100.7, 95.7 The Beat, Rumba 106.5, 98Rock and 103.5 The Bone.

Participants are reminded to maintain at least six-feet of distance from their neighbors as social distancing standards and a statewide stay-at-home order require.