Velvet Nation

Velvet Nation was a gay dance event that took place at the Nation nightclub, formerly known as The Capitol Ballroom, and was located in Southeast Washington, D.C.. The party name was derived from the venue name and "Velvet," an ode to the gay community. This event was hosted weekly on Saturday nights, 388 times over seven years, serving more than 741,000 patrons. The event ended when Nation closed its doors on July 16, 2006. The club was forced to close because of eminent domain, and the land is now part of the redevelopment program being spurred by the new Nationals Park baseball stadium in the Navy Yard/Near Southeast neighborhood. [ [http://www.jdland.com/dc/square697.cfm?tab=no1 Square 697/1015 Half Street/1000 South Capitol- Near Southeast DC Revitalization ] ]

Velvet Nation was created and operated by John Guggenmos and Ed Bailey. [cite news
url = http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/?ak=2196
title = Velvet Touch: For seven years, Ed Bailey presided over the biggest party in town. But he's not yet through with nightlife
publisher = Metro Weekly
author = Randy Shulman
date= 29 June 2006
accessdate = 2008-03-13 ] For many years, it hosted circuit event DJs and talents such as Junior Vasquez, Victor Calderone, The Pet Shop Boys, KD Lang, and The Village People. It was also known for its theme events such as Madonnarama, a night of all Madonna music and video.

In Fall 2007, Bailey and Guggenmos opened the follow up to Velvet Nation, "Town Danceboutique", a two-story, 20,000 square foot gay nightclub in Northwest D.C. [cite news
url = http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/?ak=2896
title = Going to Town: Bailey and Guggenmos unveil plans for the newest addition to D.C.'s nightlife scene
publisher = Metro Weekly
author = Yusef Najafi
date= 9 August 2007
accessdate = 2008-03-13 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.alchemy-dc.com/NationStatement.pdf Nation Nightclub: Closing Statement]
* [http://www.towndc.com/ Town's website]