You really have to plan ahead to get the best deals sometimes at least that’s how it used to be. Maybe not so much anymore if you don’t mind flying coach you can get deals last minute for cheap. Booking hotels is the biggest obstacle so you have to know months in advance if you want to book a party at say the White Party in Palm Springs or the Gay Ski Weeks. Sometimes people do not understand you have to plan ahead for things and you can’t sit around until the last minute to go which is why we miss out on so many parties. Of course not this far ahead but at least a month or so ahead. ..
I am always up for trying out new events and love to meet new people and see new and exciting things. Some of the events are hard to make because they fall on a big weekend with tons of other things going on that are more close to home or just more convenient. The hardest events to make are always the gay ski weeks and January and February events. Why are these so hard to make? There is so much going on during Spring Break and the week’s right before that.
WinterPRIDE (estimated near February 1-8)
The event that is the top of my list that I really want to attend in 2010 is the annual WinterPRIDE in Whistler, Canada. The Whistler WinterPRIDE is one of the largest gay ski weeks worldwide and even emphasizes health and wellness something we can all use. Of course, it still has all the naughtiness at nighttime we all need. They have a Mr. Gay World Competition and a closing night party. Canada also has 19 to drink laws so you don’t have the ridiculous 21 and up laws to deal with if you bring someone who is considered too young to drink in the United States. The beauty and awe are just a few of the things I expect to see in the gorgeous mountains in Whistler.
San Francisco Pride
This is an event I will probably not make it to for years just because it falls on the same weekend as Houston pride and Columbus Pride. I already am dying to see Houston pride because it’s a nighttime parade and that itself sounds exciting. San Francisco may have one of the largest pride parades but Columbus really impressed me they way they have their Community festival next door to the pride which made it more exciting. Especially exciting if you’re a lesbian there are lots of bare breasts scooting along the street. I will make it to San Fran pride someday but do want to make sure they have a club big enough for more than 100 people if I do travel up California that far north.
Fire Island Pines
Just looking at the pictures from this event make me want to go to this Summer festival.
P-Town, MA
This is an island you ride a ferry to from Boston. This I hear is a treasure of many gays and lesbians all in one spot.
White Party Palm Springs
They celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Jeffrey Sanker party this year and had a pool party with Nikki Harris and the Perry Twins with the headlining performer of Lady Gaga. For Lady Gaga this was the second year she had performed and she is the crowned Pop Princess from Perez Hilton. She took that award from Britney Spears who lip-syncs or mimes as Australians call it. There is no lip-syncing going on when Lady Gaga performs. They also had J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez) perform there a few years back.
I doubt Jeffrey Sanker can come up with something better than Lady Gaga for 2010 for their 21st anniversary but we will see. To me… nothing is grander than Lady Gaga. Well ok maybe Madonna. If he gets Madonna I will make a bet right now to pay for me and 10 of my friends to go. My problem with the white party is the fact they have nothing planned on Friday nights but a pool party in the daytime ran by Club Papi. The clubs look too small or leather clubs (not the ones im used to) to deal with on a Friday night. The Wyndham makes you book two night minimum and the other host hotel the Hotel Zoso sells out fast. Another gripe about the Wyndham is their sales people leave at a ridiculous 3:30pm – who gets off work that early!
Mardi Gras Sydney, Australia
Some call it the largest gay party in the world. Australia is one of the most conservative countries when it comes to online porn but maybe they are more open minded when it comes to this party. Over half a million people attend for three weeks of non-stop partying. This party goes on around February 14 to March 7th. Somehow the timing of this interferes with just about everything including tax preparation for me every year. I would love to go sometime though if I can find someone who wants to fly for 20 hours on the plane and spend at least a week over in Aussie land. I know there will be some babes over there to check out. The weather is supposed to be Summer there during this time so it’s the perfect time to get out of the US and warm up a bit.
GLBT Expo
I would love to attend a GLBT Expo this year or next year. I think it would be great to see the mainstream gay things in the works and meet the advertisers and event sponsors. You know none of these big events are normally possible without Red Bull, Bacardi, Absolut, or someone to sponsor these big gatherings. A few years back I attended the Nightclub Convention in Las Vegas and had such a good time going around to the booths (and trying the next new drink flavors). The annual AVN Expo is something to check out. These can all be pricey but worth it in the learning experience.
Chicago Northalsted Marketdays
This is the event in the BoysTown area of Chicago that is not to be missed. It is high time that we made this event and hope to see it for ourselves in 2010. Chicago is an incredible city to be a part of during the warmer months of course. Marketdays is a celebration of a variety of things with fair like booths set up to enjoy and browse. Market Days is located between N. Halsted street, between Belmont and Addison | Chicago from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m normally the first weekend in August. BeBe Zahara Benet and Jade performed Saturday & Sunday, August 1-2, 2009 which you missed if you were not there.
London, London, London
I want to go to London more. I am saving my frequent flyer miles just for the first class or upgrades to London. G-A-Y is where I will be and could almost live there. I love big things, especially big clubs. I just can’t stand cold weather and unless there is a reason for me to be in the cold like learning to ski I think this might be a better place to see when its Spring or Summer.
Other annual events I have missed and want to attend are EuroPride, LA Pride, and Black & Blue Montreal. Believe it or not I had to miss another one of my favorite parties this year in Pensacola, FL and the hot club Emerald City. I sure did not like missing Pensacola Beach but accidents happen.
Party like it’s 2009
Most important of all… What about the last day of 2009? New Years this year could be the biggest event in a decade since 1999. You might should start booking your New Years Eve party now- airfare, hotel, and seeing what parties are out there. We have not heard of any yet but I am sure there will be tons of huge events thrown to bring in the next decade.
What exactly is a foam party? It really depends what club or event you are attending. It can be boys in underwear going in circles around in the foam like at the P-house during Gay Days or could be like the Insomnia afterhours in Dallas where you have guys and girls dancing their asses off to incredible dj’s submerged in foam. Either way you need to loose your shirt or you will never see it again and bring a Ziploc bag for your cell phone and other things that could get wet. The foam will make you wet inside and out.