There are few things I love more than the intersection of queer and Southern culture. But if you live south of the Mason-Dixon, you know that finding community can feel like searching for a needle in a heterosexual haystack. Outside of Pride, MondoHomo and Southern Comfort, these instances are few and far between.
For the past three Labor Day weekends, New Orleans’ Dykeadence has done a great job of filling that void. The fourth installment of the queer arts festival will take place August 29 through September 3. It’s guaranteed to be quite the week of shimmery, queer debauchery.
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From humpday through Labor Day Monday, festivalgoers will have the the chance to swoon over Queerlesque’s troupe of international performers (including Rodney James and Tito Bonito), party as JD Samson spins poolside, attend a God-Des and She performance, and participate in an It Gets Better shoot.
There are also adorably wallflower-friendly happenings, such as an erotic literature reading, panel discussion of Julie Serano’s Whipping Girl, and a queer writers’ salon.
If heaven is a place on earth, all of the girls there are queer, covered in glitter and have lilting accents.
According to Sara V. Pic, one of the queer masterminds behind Dykeadence, the festival might be the perfect opportunity for an impromptu Autostraddle meet-up. “Yall’s readers are exactly the folks who come to our events, year after year. We have people coming from across the nation,” said Pic. You should go!
via Judith Eichenbaum
A full schedule of events can be viewed on the Dykeadence event page on Facebook. The Dykeadence Tumblr is also updated regularly.
Can’t wait, can’t wait!
Is anyone going and taking pictures? I would love love to see this.
YEEES, I would love an Autostraddle meet-up in NOLA! Let’s make it happen! Dykeadence is the best.
lol the wife and i will be there that same time to celebrate my 40th bday. may have to check out some events while getting intoxicated on bourbon street!
I will be there!!! So excited…I lived there for 5 years, but haven’t been back since before the storm. I can’t wait to enjoy the queeeeeeer spaces!
Hey – I’m one of the organizers (under my stage name, otherwise known as the “mastermind” haha thank you Fonseca!). Autostraddle meet-up? YES. We can do that. Lemme talk to the krewe but probably the queer happy hour mixer on Thursday would be best since it is low-key but will be lots of fun, the organizer has all kinds of quirky games planned. But if Thursday is too early, just let me know (email – [email protected]) and we could try for another time, like at one of the Saturday parties.
Regardless – I’m way in and want to help make this Autostraddle-Dykeadence magic happen.
Omg Ace, I knew your name sounded familiar! I read your essay in Polari maybe three months ago!
This makes me wish I was gonna be down south. Like, a lot.
I wish I knew some people going because I’ve never been but don’t really want to go solo since I prob wouldn’t know anybody. But sounds like fun!
#teamhelpnancyphoneafriend
AAAHHHHH I’m actually off work that weekend!!! I live about 4 hours from NOLA now, but haven’t been down enough to know my way around. If there’s talk of a potential meetup, I’ll probably go though. I never get to do really gay things like Pride or Dykadence.
All y’all solos out there, peeps who don’t know Nola well – that’s why Dykeadence was created. It is so you can get as naughty as the boys who fly in from all over the world in the hundred thousands. There’s no such thing as a solo during Dykeadence, you will meet people immediately. That’s how we are. We are just really friendly – but be prepared for lots of kissing goodbye and people calling you sugar. We all do it. You can too. And you don’t need to know the city to come get nasty with us. Most of the events are very close to each other in a historic area of town called the Faubourg Marigny, aka the queerborhood. We will help you find your way around and if you get lost – you will probably discover a treasure. I mean it – wandering in New Orleans with nowhere to go is one of the most fun things to do here. We aren’t like any other city in the U.S and you will experience that most just by wandering.
And — why don’t we just say that the Queer Happy Hour at Big Daddy’s on Thursday at 5-8 is an unofficial friends-of-Autostraddle meet-up? It is at a cute little dive bar (which hosts a bi-weekly party called Deep Lez – there is one this Tuesday!) and is next to the best place for neo- and classical tapas and a very sweet coffeehouse (with a very unusual iced tea – the owner will explain to you it has a special ingredient he learned from his grandmother but only if you ask nicely). Big Daddy’s also has the best crane game machine (like you played as a kid) – you are still trying to pick up stuffed animals, but each one is attached with some kind of sex toy. The neighborhood is especially lovely for wandering, it’s all cute gingerbread houses in crazy colors with random art all over. And the river is within walking distance – oh and did I mention you can drink alcohol on the streets here? It just has to be in a plastic cup. I’m really not kidding (there was a 2010 Autostraddle article from two writers who actually happened into town unknowing it was Dykeadence and that sang the praises of our “go cup” — it is linked on the Dykeadence website. They also said we New Orleanian ladies are really hot and New Orleans is paradise).
All that above – that’s just New Orleans on any given day. Dykeadence is all that but also OUR special day – 6 days!
So here is the Fb invite for that happy hour. Post and let folks know you heard about it from Autostraddle. And we will think of some extra special games for y’all. :) https://www.facebook.com/events/428980510473378/
(wow Fonseca you are so right on – I totes just did the southern hospitality thing without even realizing it!)
I’ve never hated the fact that I work Thursday and Friday evenings more than right now. I’ll still try to come in Saturday if I can, though!
Why am I just now finding out about these things? I’m such a young gay :P okay, where’s the calendar…
You may have heard about this hurricane thing. What we do in Nola for hurricanes is stock up on supplies… for a HURRICANE PARTY! (i’m actually not kidding). just stay up-to-date with us at http://www.facebook.com/dykeadence. last year we partied all the way through a tropical storm, including over 100 people at the pool party. in a tropical storm. we would abso have called all of it off last year if we thought there was any danger. we will never put you in harm’s way. ever. trust us. we got this.
(and i’m sorry for posting again fonseca! i figured emergency-types situations would be reasonable)
Is it ironic that my classes for Wed-Fri were cancelled because of a hurricane, and I’m now considering heading TOWARDS said hurricane because my schedule has been freed?
AWESOME!!!! THanks for the info. I’m going to New Orleans and 2 days and had NO CLUE about DYKEADENCE!!!