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CIRCUIT PARTY INFORMATION, HISTORY
AND FUTURE Circuit Party is
a huge dance party, extending through a night and into the following
day, almost always with a number of affiliated events in the days
leading up to and following the main event. Circuit parties were first
developed, in connection with the early tea dances and theme parties
held on Fire Island, in the carefree days after police abuse and before
the beginning of the Health Crisis. They came to resemble underground
rave parties in some respects, but differ in that circuit parties are
highly publicized and professionally produced, and tend to attract
people from a wider age range and a broader geographic area.
While open to anyone, the parties generally are viewed as social events
for gay men. Circuit parties charge admission, with some being run
for-profit and others benefiting charities, generally those which
benefit the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender communities or
HIV/health related programs.
Attending more than one party per year, due to a variety of factors such
as differing locations, can be rather expensive. Even the most dedicated
party-goers don't attempt to run the whole "circuit" - there are simply
too many parties to make this possible. Gay men who are regular
attendees at multiple circuit parties are sometimes referred to as
circuit boys.
Background
The start of the circuit has been attributed to many different parties
that sprang up during the same time frame of the late 1970's and early
1980's. Although Flamingo and 12 West were New York clubs that had
theme-centered gay parties, these nightclubs were eclipsed by the
opening of the mega-nightclub the Saint in the East Village in 1979. The
most famous early parties were in New York at the nightclub in the East
Village named "The Saint". This members-only male (with very limitd
exceptions) club was very technologically advanced, some say its like
has never since been recreated. Featuring a domed dance floor that was
suspended in mid-air, inside of a cavernous former theatre, and a
complete planetarium mechanism that could project a starscape onto the
dome above the dance floor. The once monthly parties were marathon
events that drew gay men from around the world. These parties created
the concept of a party being the focal point for a weekend get away in
the gay community.
Another party was founded in the same time period by Corbett Reynolds, a
Columbus, Ohio-based artist and nightclub owner in the late 1970s.
Initially Reynolds envisioned a one night party to end all parties,
designed around the theme of the color Red (hence the name Red Party)
which was held at Reynolds nightclub “Rudely Elegant”. The Red Party
proved so successful and drew so many outside visitors that it became an
annual event, outliving the closure of the bar in the early 1980s, and
eventually filling Valley Dale Dance Hall to capacity. Reynolds was a
true artist, creating complete party-scapes all in red. On the 25th year
of the Red Party, the theme of which was to have been "Rome", Mr.
Reynolds died. Those in charge of his estate thought about how, if at
all, to continue the event and in the end decided to retire the concept
of the "Red Party", and leave it to history. Columbus organizers met
shortly afterwards and elected to create a new party, called the Chrome
Party, as a replacement, which continues successfully to this day.
The early 1980's saw the start of the AIDS crisis and whole communities
were impacted. Several benefit parties sprang up around the country
which were run by volunteer organizations that donated their proceeds to
AIDS|HIV-related charities. The success of these early parties gave way
to other events hosted in other cities, with each party having its own
theme. Many are named after colors, such as White Party, Black Party,
Blue Ball, and Black and Blue Festival.
An economic reality of a well-run circuit party is that the event can
bring large amounts of tourist dollars to the locality where the event
is held. Because of their economic impact, Circuit parties have actually
been welcomed into some of the more liberal cities where they're held.
Throughout the 1990s, the circuit party scene continued to grow and
expand into ever-larger productions featuring superstar DJs and
performers, as more and more gay men became attracted to these mega
dance-events. Promoters turned events from one party into a major series
of parties at various venues, transforming a weekend into a three-day or
longer continuous party, for example, consisting of a pool party that
might go from noon-5 PM, a "t-dance" from 5 PM-9 PM, a main event from 9
PM-4 AM, and an afterhours from 4 AM-12 Noon, when the cycle repeats
itself again.
To keep putting together these increasingly elaborate and costly
productions, the prices (cover charge) of circuit parties increased
greatly, so that it was not uncommon for the full weekend of parties to
cost $400 or more.
In the early 2000s, promoters became worried as attendance decreased
dramatically at many circuit events. This has been attributed to several
factors. The original circuit audience that began partying at circuit
events in the 80s and 90s has grown older and no longer have such an
active interest in multi-day partying.
Much had been said about the decline of the Circuit in recent years.
Some parties have disappeared from the landscape. But the scene
continues to thrive in many places with attendance rebounding from the
dip that occurred after the new Millennium. This is especially true at
the better produced events like Gay Disney - One Mighty Weekend in
Orlando and Black and Blue in Montreal.
Circuit party culture and controversy
Many believe circuit parties serve an important social, recreational,
and cultural function for some gay men, especially those who live in
communities where homosexuality is still highly stigmatized. Often, a
circuit party will be the largest gathering of gay men that the attendee
has ever witnessed. This, along with the generally celebratory
atmosphere of the event, can result in an experience that is uniquely
gay-affirming for many gay men.
Many observers within the gay and medical communities have concerns
about the culture of circuit parties, particularly the use of drugs
(including alcohol, crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy, and other "party
drugs"). They point to the risks of overdose, dehydration, and impaired
judgment leading to unsafe sex and transmission of sexually transmitted
diseases. Circuit parties have been blamed for the spread of
methamphetamine abuse and the rise in transmission of STDs, particularly
HIV, among North American gay men (for full article, see Crystal and
sex). However, Circuit parties also are a site for education around
these issues with medical and gay community organizations often working
with party organizers to promote risk awareness, harm reduction, and
safer sex practices to attendees.
Others believe that blaming the Circuit for the increase in HIV
transmission is a case of gross oversimplification of a complex problem.
The Circuit represents an easy scape-goat in the gay community, and
blaming it for a rise in HIV cases avoids the difficult problem of
figuring out why some parts of the gay community are no longer committed
to safer sex. This problem extends far beyond the boundaries of the
Circuit.
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