Supervisor Backs Bid for Bash for 3,900 People

After being shut down by town officials last year mid-rave, the annual Shark Attack Sounds party may move to the Montauk Yacht Club on Star Island for a nearly all-night bash during the Fourth of July weekend.

Ben Watts, a photographer and organizer of the event, is seeking a last-minute East Hampton Town mass-gathering permit for the July 5 party for 3,900 guests. The 6 p.m.-to-2 a.m. event is described in town documents as a fund-raiser for the Montauk Playhouse community center.

The Shark Attack was held last year at Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe on East Lake Drive in Montauk and reportedly drew thousands more than the 800 guests town officials had been expecting. When it was shut down by town officials just before midnight, there was still a line to get in.

East Hampton Town Board members will be asked tonight to vote on the permit in a resolution sponsored by Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson. The permit would allow 20 tents, a lighted stage, and 32 portable toilets. The plan includes parking at Rita’s Stables on West Lake Drive in Montauk, with 15 40-passenger buses to get guests to and from the Yacht Club.

According to the permit request, Mr. Watts, whose sister is the actress Naomi Watts, has arranged to have an ambulance and two emergency medical technicians on site and to keep in touch with town police and the Montauk Fire Department volunteer ambulance squad. Security officers will man sobriety checkpoints to keep intoxicated people from attending and will enforce a minimum age for entry of 18 and 21 to drink.

Last year, according to reports, town police, code enforcement officers, and a Montauk Fire Department ambulance had trouble getting to the Crabby Cowboy during the party due to parked vehicles partially blocking the roadway. According to the permit request, there will be no parking along Star Island Road.

At a town board meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Wilkinson did not detail the nature or name of the party when reviewing the resolutions he planned to offer tonight. The board meeting Thursday begins at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Shark Attack Sounds party would be held on July 4. Ed.