Circuit party
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A circuit party is one of many large events, open to anyone but popular primarily among gay men, that take place annually at various popular travel destinations, mostly in North America, such as Palm Springs, California, New York City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Miami, Florida, and Montreal, Quebec, but also including destinations such as Prague and Sydney, Australia. Each party has a theme and many are named after colors, such as White Party, Black Party, Blue Ball (http://www.blueballphilly.com/), and Black and Blue Ball (http://www.bbcm.org/|). Essentially each circuit party is a huge disco-type dance party, extending through a night and into the following day, almost always with a number of related events in the days surrounding the main event. Circuit parties charge admission, with some being run for-profit and others benefitting charities, generally those which benefit the G/L/B community and/or people with HIV. A circuit party can bring large amounts of tourist dollars to the locality that sponsors the event. Circuit parties 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.
Attending more than one party per year, due to a variety of factors such as differing locations, can be rather expensive and only the most dedicated party-goers attempt to run the whole "circuit". Gay men who are regular attendees at multiple circuit parties are sometimes referred to as circuit queens.
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") at the events. 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). In many cases, medical and gay community organizations work with party promoters to promote risk awareness, harm reduction, and safer sex to attendees.
Despite these concerns, 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 place the first officially-organized circuit party as being one created by a man named Corbett Reynolds, a Columbus, Ohio-based artist who called his creation "The Red Party" and which was held each year just outside of Columbus. On its 25th year, the theme being "Rome", alas Mr. Reynolds passed away. Those in charge of his estate decided to retire the Red Party as a concept as well, leaving its memory and past to the archives of history.
After some meetings, local Columbus organizations formed a new party to replace it, called the Chrome Party, which is a part of the circuit scene and, as of 2004, in its 3rd year.