Did anyone notice that Davie Street was rather lame over the Olympics?
Now that the Olympics have wound down, I thought it might be interesting to broach a rather tender topic in Vancouver's GLBT community. That topic being Vancouver's rather
(ahem) intimate party scene. Every month it seems we have less and less places that cater to us! Even the few clubs and pubs that we do have are often half full and forced to throw straight-centric evenings to pay the bills! Furthermore, many a party promoter has lost his or her shirt in this lazy crazy beach town and many a queen has had to pack in her gowns and grow a beard!!
We have one of the most highly dense GLBT populations in the world and yet we have three cabarets, half a dozen pubs (almost all sports themed) and a few restaurants. There is no tranny bar, no full time leather bar, barely a Lesbian scene and with the closing of the
Dufferin, no FABULOUS place to find strippers and hustlers and freaks (OH MY!)
I decided to make a list of what HAS worked long-term in this city.
1. Drag shows: Myria Le Noir's historic
"The Bitch is Back" show at
Celebrities,
Willie Taylor's
"Almost Live" show and her
Lyps Inc show with
Carlotta (which Carlotta continues) at the
Odyssey,
Symone's dinner show at
Doll & Pennies, and
Miss Adrian's
Thursdays. All of these promotions have lasted at least half a decade.
2. Circuit style parties: From
"Out on the Slopes" to
"Big Roger" to
Tommy D, there has always been fun and games for the boys with the massive pecs, a hatred of wearing shirts and a love of water bottles. These have worked best when the promoters provided a "Name", a "Show" a kick-ass DJ and made their crowd more diverse.
3. Karaoke: Numbers has reinvented itself as the comfy lounge where everyone is welcome and all are encouraged to belt out their best Celine, Britney or Gaga. The Dufferin also had HUGE success for over a decade with their Karaoke nights.
4. Special event fundraising nights: The Christmas show at the
Fountainhead,
WIGGLE,
Diorama,
Coronation,
Miss Wesa,
Fit for a Queen, and
Gambado to name a few. When our Community needs it, Vancouver will come out in droves.
5. Club nights: Electro Lush Lounge at the
Denman Station,
Shower Power at the
Odyssey,
Release at
Celebs,
Amateur Strip at
Numbers, and
Dreaddy's Thursdays at
1181 are just a few examples of what happens when clubs get it right!
The one thing that all these success stories have in common is that they were Events!! No one just opened the door and said "Come on in for a regular old night"! That does not work in Vancouver!!! YOU MUST BUILD IT OR THEY WONT COME!
I guess what I'm trying to say is: In this City, you need to throw SOMETHING. We had the world on our doorstep last month and, with some notable exceptions, I think we dropped the ball. We just assumed that people would come in droves to the Village and it didn't happen. I looked in the stores, the pubs and even the clubs and saw disappointment in the eyes of management, staff and customers alike.
In the future, I suggest the businesses of Davie Street work TOGETHER to create excitement for the Village! City Hall has loosened up a bit! During the Olympics, we should have had a fabulous Davie Street block party put on by the Merchants of Davie street in co-operation with
Qmunity, our charities and the Davie Street Business Association! It could have been magical! Instead, it was just a'ight.
My hats off to all of the promoters, artists and visionaries in Vancouver who attempt to create a great party. You are my heroes!
For more of Joan-E's Rag and Essential Gay Intelligence, check out PINQ.CA!
