White Party

The White Party is the name of a number of circuit parties held annually, catering to the LGBT communities. Its name comes from the requirement that party-goers dress in all or almost all white. White Parties have taken place in New York City, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Palm Springs, California; and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, although the events are not affiliated with each other.

New York

The New York City White Party was always held at the legendary gay disco "The Saint" during the month of February of each year usually coinciding with the full moon. Dress requirement was always white. "The Saint" was one of the first gay night clubs starting in 1980 that started the tradition. After the closing of "The Saint" in 1988, The White Party became the norm for other cities around the country in the current circuit party system to host such events.

Miami

The Miami White Party is an annual fundraiser party for HIV/AIDS research. The all-white clothing theme was chosen by co-founder Frank Wager because, as he said, "White stands for purity. White is elegant, non-political, non-combative and makes people look just plain beautiful." The Miami party began as a small fundraising event for the Health Crisis Network in 1985, bringing in a total of $16,000. In 1995, more events joined the White Party, including "The Victory Party" and "Muscle Beach". In 1998, the Health Crisis Network merged with Community Research Initiative, and the White Party brought in over $2 million for their efforts. It is now the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser in the world. With DJs and artists attending from all over the world, the music has come to be renown and a central part of the party. White Party CDs have been produced since 1996.

Today Care Resource (Community AIDS Resource) governs the party. It operates with over 100 employees in both Dade and Broward County providing medical, counseling, testing, psychosocial, a food bank and more to their clients. White Party Week Miami attracts thousands of participants with a week of events, including the signature White Party at Vizcaya, Muscle Beach Party, and exclusive Women's events. White Party Week Miami has been featured in "W", "Vanity Fair", "Glamour" magazine, "The New York Times", and has been the subject of documentaries on Bravo, The Travel Channel, the BBC, Playboy Channel, and others. It is the setting for the 2001 documentary film "When Boys Fly". [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/272931/When-Boys-Fly/overview "When Boys Fly" (2001)] , "The New York Times". Retrieved 2008-01-31.] [ [http://www.whenboysfly.com/credits.htm "When Boys Fly" credits] . Retrieved 2008-01-31.]

This year, White Party Week Miami is scheduled from November 26 - December 1, 2008 and features a performance by "Jennifer Holliday", the original Broadway Dreamgirl. For additional information, visit www.whiteparty.org

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale also has its own White Party. It is, however, held inconsistently and is not as big as the Miami party.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California also hosts an annual White Party. It was the partial setting for the 2001 feature film "Circuit". The Palm Springs White Party was also featured in a 2004 episode of the television series "The L Word" and in a 2006 episode of the reality television series "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency". The Palm Springs White Party was described by "Frommer's Travel Guide" as "one of the biggest and best on the US party circuit ... [with] over 20,000 gay men dressed in white." [ [http://events.frommers.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=27131 "White Party Spring Break"] , "Frommer's Online Travel Guide". Retrieved 2007-03-22.] In 2004, the New York Times [Citation
last =Brown
first =Janelle
title = JOURNEYS; On Gay Circuit, The Party Never Ends
newspaper = New York Times
year = 2004
date = April 30, 2004
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/travel/escapes/30CIRC.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5070&en=bf06f5c74e041b8c&ex=1219896000] travel section featured an in-depth look at The White Party in Palm Springs in conjunction with staff members of Noizemag.

Montreal

Every Easter Sunday in Montreal, a white party (Bal en Blanc) catering to both straight and gay ravers is held. It usually attracts over 16,000 attendees and prominent international DJs such as Armin Van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Offer Nissim, Peter Rauhofer, Deep Dish, Tiësto, David Guetta, and many others.

References

External links

* [http://www.whiteparty.org White Party (Florida) official site]
* [http://www.jeffreysanker.com White Party (Palm Springs) official site]
* [http://www.balenblanc.com/ Bal en Blanc (Montreal) official site]
* [http://www.careresource.org Care Resource]
* [http://www.partyfinder.com/index.php?fuseaction=event&id=235 Party Finder Review & Photos: White Party Week Miami]