<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:10887 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:10887 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:ArialMT; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:Arial; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} —It’s loud. It’s lewd. It’s leather.
It’s the Black Party of New York City, one of the biggest, butchest leather parties on the Circuit, and it’s coming (all over the place, most likely) March 22-24. The polar opposite of Miami’s and Palm Springs’s fantastical White Parties, the Black Party favors sweat over body glitter, Tiësto and Trent Reznor over Mariah and Adele, fetish over fashion, and pure lust over hard-to-get flirtation. In other words, no angels here.
Held annually at New York’s dimly-lit Roseland Ballroom, the Black Party is one of the oldest circuit parties in the world, originally envisioned as a roving party after its HQ mega-club, the Saint, was shut down in 1987. The event has since become one of the circuit’s most notorious, and an apt reflection of what made the Saint such a target for nosy-Rosie law enforcement agents.
Each year is themed: 2006’s “Schwartzwald” was a XXX homage to the Arthurian Mythos, complete with Merlin, Morgan, and a massive framework castle built inside the Roseland. For 2012, it was “Yakuza,” a Japanese-style bondage extravaganza. And for next year? “The Dirty Carnival,” a three-ring circus that has absolutely nothing to do with Barnum & Bailey.
What to expect? A tough call, since nitty-gritty details are usually hush-hush until the doors open, but the Black Party is a major magnet for porn stars, porn studios, and outlandish BDSM shows to make your toes curl. I remember one where they managed to find a real, live “piquerist”—a man who gets his jollies getting stuck with needles. By the end of the show, he looked like he was wearing a flapper’s shimmy-dress. If that sounds off-setting, then the goal has been achieved. The whole point of the Black Party is to show, and perhaps introduce, the goings-on at the fringes of sexuality. Don’t knock it till you try it. Just sayin’.
In conjunction with the actual dance event runs the Black Party Expo and Bazaar, billed as a day-long “Behind The Scenes At The World’s Sexiest Party.” Attendees come in full costume—and give other attendees a 101 on what true “kink” really is (trust me, you have no idea. It will blow your…mind). As a side note, while the Black Party is overwhelmingly the domain of men, the Expo is where the ladies of BDSM make their presence felt. Usually with a switch.
Tickets go on sale this coming February, but remember this is New York, where hotel space is always being snapped up, so get rooms pronto. For more information, go to www.saintatlarge.com. Contact Steele Luxury Travel for Black Party Hotel rooms and everything in between! www.SteeleTravel.com