- Credit to: Dan Demello Public Relations
New York City itself is known for being a prime area for some of the best events in the world. That rings true especially for events geared towards the gay community. The Black Party weekend is one of those annual events that bring men from around the world for a weekend of excitement, dancing, interesting wardrobe choices and above all a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.
Hosted at the legendary Roseland Ballroom, the Black Party Weekend starts on Friday night and doesn’t end until around Sunday afternoon. If you are into something that is a little outside of the norm, this is the event for you. Leather and gear enthusiasts are rampant at all of the events, as well as some of the most known names in the gay adult industry.
It starts out on Friday night around 7PM with the Black Party Expo. This gets the weekend going, with several different vendors promoting their fascinating lines. Whether it is a gay app that is hot right now (Recon, Mister), the best M4M night in the world (Adonis), or some of the biggest gay adult websites online right now (Cocky Boys, Lucas Entertainment) there was something for everyone there. It was set up with a fantastic light display that encompassed the look of a Ferris Wheel. It was something that I could definitely tell was going to be in heavy use for the party itself.
That same night was where The Hookie awards took place. This event was designed for rentboy.com, a site devoted to the personal enjoyment of a fellow gentleman. Hosted by Rupaul’s Drag Race season 4 winner Sharon Needles and comedian Cole Escada, the awards were presented in full to some well known names in the adult industry (Austin Wolff, Trenton Ducati, Rafael Alencar) and some of the biggest members on Rentboy. Some of the presenters included well known journalists like Paper Magazine Editor-In-Chief Mr. Mickey and Village Voice writer Michael Musto. The awards itself had some really great names to them (Best Top, Best Boyfriend Fantasy, etc) and above all everyone seemed to have a great time. Sharon and Cole did an amazing job themselves, and as a personal fan of Sharon’s it was great to see her perform live and prove why she won season 4.
The next days events were similar to Friday nights. There was an extended version of the expo that lasted from 12-7pm, so if you weren’t able to make it there Friday you had all day to see what the vendors were selling and get to meet and greet some of your favorite stars. Saturday night is what everyone was there for- The Black Party. I had a ton of friends who went, and said they had a great time. Some really unique performances took place but above all the music kept everyone going through the night into Sunday morning.
If you ever get a chance to have a once in a lifetime experience and you are local or visiting the New York City area, stop by next year’s Black Party weekend. It is one that you don’t want to miss!