Southern Decadence
in New Orleans
By Emily LaneLabor Day weekend in New Orleans means it’s that time of year when the kings and queens of the gay community march around the French Quarter in leather boots and feather boas to throw a party that is a spectacle in itself.
For six days and nights, gay revelers come out of the nation’s woodwork to splash the streets of the French Quarter in over-the-top costumes for the Southern Decadence Festival. The 37th annual event arrives with all its bells and whistles on Aug. 27-Sept. 1 to celebrate gay life, music, and culture with the theme of Decadence Does Disco.
Paloma, one of this year’s two Grand Marshals, said although SD “oozes Nawlins,” gays and lesbians from all over the country participate in the festival every year.
On the international level, the event is on the same scale as gay pride events in New York City, Sydney, London, and Rio de Janeiro. But last year’s Grand Marshal, Guadalupe, said that what sets SD apart is that it does not pretend to take on any serious political themes. “It’s just outrageousness for the sake of outrageousness,” he said. “If you take it seriously, the joke’s on you.” In true Big Easy fashion, this party doesn’t hide behind any mask of any intentions other than to have a good time and let loose.
The good times of SD began in 1972 as a simple going away party, and it eventually grew into the soirée it is today, with 130,000 attendees in 2007 sparking over $125 million in economic impact for the city. While the festival has gone through a rough patch of disorderly decadence in its past, including problems with some public displays of affection, it is now kept under control with the help of the NOPD 8th District. The mayor even officiates the festival in a proclamation, welcoming visitors to the festival.
All of the gay bars in the French Quarter host events each day of the festival, most of which are free and open to the public. With a twist on the traditional bare-all wet t-shirt contest, the Corner Pocket on St. Louis Street hosts a Wet Jockey Shorts Contest on Wednesday, Aug 27. Thursday’s main attraction is the USDA Prime Aged Beef Contest at the Good Friends Bar on Dauphine Street, where the aged beef will hopefully be at least 18 years old. The Annual Official SD Grand Marshal’s Drag Show reveals some of the city’s finest entertainers in a bold and beautiful way on Friday at the Golden Lantern on Royal Street. And back by popular demand, GLITZ!, a female impersonation contest, will be held at 9 PM at Harrah’s Theatre almost every night of the festival, where Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, and Tina Turner are likely to make cameos.
Dancin’ in the street is bound to go down at a free live concert on Saturday at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets, featuring the fabulous Thea Austin, Deborah Cox, Jeanie Tracy, Carlos Saenz, and American Idol’s Kimberley Locke. The talented performers combined with the terrifically tacky audience make this concert an event not to be missed.
All the decadence and debauchery eventually lead up to the Official Southern Decadence Parade on Sunday, Aug. 31. Taking off from The Golden Lantern, the Grand Marshals lead the walking parade without an official route, so only The Royal Paloma and Tittie Toulouse, (2008’s second grand marshal), will know where the hustle and bustle ends up. With stops at each bar to grab a cocktail and pick up stragglers, this parade becomes a social event. SD survivors will nurse their hangovers at the closing bar crawl on Labor Day, which starts at The Corner Pocket and ends at Starlight By The Park on North Rampart Street.
But the decadence of SD is not in vain. After expenses are paid, all proceeds of the festival are donated to charity. Paloma has chosen to donate to Second Harvest and Food for Friends, which is a program of NO/AIDS Task force, and Tittie Toulouse will donate to Make It Right, the rebuilding program chartered by Brad Pitt.
In terms of who’s invited, Paloma’s philosophy is whether you’re gay or straight, “the more the merrier.”