It may have a somewhat well earned image of stodginess (at least until the next extramarital affair), but Washington, D.C. has one of the most rambunctious gay populations on the East Coast. If you don’t believe me, you must not have had your Cherry pop yet.
One of the capital’s biggest gay events, Cherry is the club kid’s unequivocal herald of Springtime, and while it gives every impression of being a wall-to-wall packed circuit party, all the flowery fun is fact an ingeniously disguised fund raiser for the Cherry Fund, an all-volunteer non-profit foundation, the purpose of which is to raise funds for the HIV/AIDS service community (yes, it is still a disease worth your attention). Since it’s creation in 1997, Cherry has raised nearly a million dollars in funds, and is looking to keep the energy going.
In other words, you can dance on the speakers, have sex on the refrigerator, give “the Beltway” a whole new meaning, and still have it be for a good cause. Even better, the go-go boys in DC can dance naked, so maybe Washington isn’t as stodgy as we think it is. Of course, this may mean you have to get creative when tipping, but hey, you’re a smart lad…
Occurring on April 4-7, this year’s theme is “Tribal: Bring the Drums Back.” Regularly pulling in top-caliber DJs from across the planet — Mark Anthony, Abel, Randy Bettis, Alyson Calagna, Manny Lehman, and Peter Rauhofer among them – Cherry isn’t one event, but rather several taking place across Washington’s bustling gay club and bar scene. Last year’s event was a blast, and along with the dances at uber-clubs Cobalt and Ultra Bar, there was charity fundraiser (read “formal dress”) and bachelor auction (possibly formal, but necessarily so, and let’s be honest: how long could the auctioned-off have stayed dressed?).
As a side note, the name “Cherry” doesn’t come from the state you think it does. Indeed, the term most likely is a nod to the idyllic Washington, D.C., Cherry Blossom Festival, with which the party just so happens to coincide. It’s very beautiful, and dare I say it, a bit of culture you may want to partake of. More over, as you are strolling along the petal-spangled landscape with the guy with whom you will inevitably hook up, the festival is a ready-made diversion from the fact that you cannot remember his name for the life of you.
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