Circuit Parties - Do you go? Why?

I thought this said Cunt Parties.

It was fun when I was young and hot.

I didn't travel around the globe for them, but I went to the ones in NYC in Fire Island. It was fun, I got high with my friends, and I got my ticket punched.

erm, NYC *and* Fire Island

I don’t do steroids, so I wouldn’t fit in.

I have not heard this term in years. Are these large gay sex parties? Do they still have them?

I went to one when I was in my 20s. I had seen photos of them and everyone looked so hot, and I loved dance clubs, so I was really excited to go. I hated it. People were crammed like sardines. No one was really dancing/could dance. It was a bunch of shirtless over built gorillas just lind of barely bouncing and raising their hands, lots of groping and massaging, and I'm sure a lot of drugs. One of those experiences when you realize "this is not for me," and one that makes better photos than real life.

I was drawn to all that stuff we're sold through gay media when I was young but invariably it all turned me off in real life. I had a (pretty long) promiscuous period and during the course of it, I had sex with a number of guys who I could either tell were on chemical drugs or else who asked me to do them (I never did.) and every time I got a rush of "what are you doing with your life?" and "this is all a tragedy in the making." I try not to judge people, but my heart always sunk when I encountered people like this.

Nowadays, right or wrong, when I see photos of circuit parties, my heart sinks and I just get mental images of big plastic jugs of protein powder, creatine and HGH, I think of GHB and meth and poppers, big muscular men lying around in naked dazes next to one another, each one on his phone looking for someone else to come over. No appeal whatsoever.

I did in my youth. It was reliving the clique-y, high school / college party scene as an out gay man. Fine but gets old.

[quote]Are these large gay sex parties?

Yes and No. If there were sex to be had by sentient people who knew how to fuck, I might go, but they are more about the Ideal of sex, but in the end there is little sex. The hours are spent looking for a dealer; getting money together, buying drugs; taking drugs; changing outfits for the 47th time; the washing and rewashing and rewashing again of holes (such optimism!); more changing of cute tops; Oops! Half our drugs are gone are we're still in the hotel room trying on cute tops and hosing out our holes; the dealer is called again; more hosing out of holes; more trying on of different outfits... Once arrived at the venue at 4.45, the next hours are spent walking around in circles looking at men who might do but no decisions are made because everyone is too high and holding out for someone better. Noonish people stumble back to hotel rooms to the addresses of rumored after parties; juice and juice with G is served; a couple clowns try to entertain, a refreshments committee assembles when someone has the idea what everyone needs right now is fresh fruit; everyone sits around scrolling through their phone apps until it's time to repeat for Night Two.

I used to go to all of them, but I don't get around as much these days.

Which were the most famous of the parties? The White Party?

Not anymore, even when I did go when I was younger I never really enjoyed them to be honest. I never had a circle of gay friends to go out dancing with, so I just used to go to hook up really. This was pre-hook-up apps, and so it was the best opportunity to be around large numbers of hot guys.

Great recap r8.

Thanks R8, it's good to know I didn't miss anything. That sounds worse than even the worst gay bar.

My partner used to go to a ton, so when we first started going out, I went with his to the NYC White Party. It was mainly fun because we went with a group of 10 friends. This way, no one cared what other people thought about you--you mainly stuck with the friends and we had a blast.

Overall, the evening was exhausting. I can't understand how people keep going to them. If you don't know anyone, it must be so disorienting.

We've never been to another one--sort of aged out of it, thankfully.

I used to go 20 years ago. I went because my best friends got into the scene. We would all go together. It was fun for a while taking x and dancing. Many of the parties had really good production values.

But it got old after a while and I was wary of the drugs as people got more into meth. I was the first of our group to opt-out. And never regretted it.

As someone who liked "bears" in their original incarnation, I went to similar events - they may not have been the White Party but a circuit is a circuit. Did that circuit for a few years and had a lot of fun. I was more into hairy, muscular men, but also liked the fit fat solid guys.

But at some point in the late aughts, the quote, unquote "bear" events became overrun with guys that were no longer "bears" but were instead chair-breakingly fat, and the muscular hairy guys that had been the belle of that particular ball were absorbed into the general circuit, I think - a circuit that was too drug fueled for me to want to participate.

I definitely went to quite a few back in the early 2000s. I went to Gay Days in Orlando (One Mighty Party was always a blast), Fireball in Chicago, Motorball in Detroit, a few parties in Columbus and some others I can't remember right now. It was definitely all about the music for me. There was something almost tribal/spiritual about those parties. The most scandalous drug I would do is ecstasy (not all the time) and maybe a small sip of GHB from time to time (I know, stupid). The frenzy those DJs would get the crowd into was insanely fun and intense. They were very hedonistic and memorable with all the half-naked men, dancers, flaggers, pyrotechnics, video effects, etc. You'd see beautiful men from all walks of life (porn stars, brain surgeons, Hollywood types, college twinks, etc.). I can never imagine committing to a whole circuit weekend these days but I would love to go bop around at a good party to see how things have changed.

Is the circuit party still a thing? I thought they ended about 20 years ago.

The Black Party is fun to observe!

[quote] I would love to go bop around at a good party to see how things have changed.

Everyone is on their phones, either for selfies or Tik Tok/OF filming. No organic interactions are to be had.

R20 The biggest fear of going to any type of sex party nowadays is that everyone has their phones out.

Chances are good that pictures or videos of you could end up on social media doing some raunchy shit.

Circuit parties do not equal sex parties. Yes, people lose their inhibitions and end up doing some crazy stuff, but it's not like a huge orgy. Yeah, I couldn't deal with phones at one of those events these days. NOT the place for them.

[quote]Chances are good that pictures or videos of you could end up on social media doing some raunchy shit.

Solution: Have no secrets, confess to everything, say "They don't have videos of me with... Pity!"

From those I know who do attend, it seems like the same queens at each party. So if you're looking to meet new people (and contract new strains of STIs) you're not gonna find it.

They're best described as gay men's attempts to go to the prom again, except this time you'll get to be the girl who has the prettiest/sluttiest outfit, see the most friends, do the most drugs, and (God willing) get laid.

Was looking but couldn’t find the link to the story of the drugged out slut who shit himself on the Roseland dance floor at the Black Party. When the crowd pulled away in horror, he took it as a sign his dancing was fabulous and proceeded to stomp around in his shit. What a show!

I hate to confess it, but I puked once at Roseland leaving the Black Party. It was like 6 a.m., and I had actually had a fabulous night dancing with my friends, but I mixed too many party favors and lost it on the way out.

My bf at the time (who was HAF in his harness) wisely said "Just keep walking". We got out and caught a cab home and I slept for 2 days.

I remember going to a party in Atlanta and someone was rather nonchalantly getting fucked in the middle of the dancefloor, as everyone just danced around them as if it was just the most ordinary thing ever.

Of course, now, everyone would have whipped out their phones.

I never fucked a guy on the dance floor but I fingered a whole bunch.

And they me.

Awww, we can't anymore!

Any party that needs an on site ER is not a party any sane person should attend.

Everything I've ever heard about these parties sounds as if it would be a total nightmare for me personally. I went to Velvet Nation in DC a few times, but that's as close as I came to a party of that size. I don't like large crowds, but at least Nation was an interesting mix of people. These circuit parties have guys who are physically hot, but that's where it ends, as far as I can tell. The attitudes, the cliques, and the excessive drugs are all major turn-offs.

I have absolutely no regrets.