Southern Decadence Now Underway In New Orleans
Thousands of tourists are filling New Orleans for the Southern Decadence Festival. Organizers say Decadence is "one of the gay world's major annual events" with nearly 100,000 participants. People start arriving on Wednesday and most stay until Tuesday, enjoying such events as talent contests, dance parties, and free outdoor concerts.
Special performing guests this year include Chi Chi Larue and drag superstar Lady Bunny. Visit Southerndecadence.net to track down your discount travel rates. And be sure to leave room in your luggage for all those beads you’ll earn.
In the almost four decades since it started, Southern Decadence has become a traditional Labor Day weekend, end-of-summer, event. But for two of the last four years, hurricanes crashed the French Quarter-centered party. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Gustav last year both generated evacuation orders for the city and brought the festivities to a screeching halt.
Chi Chi LaRue, the "Diva of Decadence," returns again for the 12th anniversary of the event. The legendary Lady Bunny brings her outrageous show to The Bourbon Pub stage on Friday evening. The Bourbon Street Extravaganza returns with a free outdoor concert on Saturday afternoon at the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann Streets headlined by recording artist Deborah Cox. DECA-DANCE XXI, the largest dance event of the weekend, is Saturday night upstairs at The Bourbon Pub / Parade, with Pepper Mashay returning for a special performance with the boys of PLAYGIRL. And Sister Roma from San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence returns to co-host Thursday night's Big Dick Contest with Chi Chi LaRue upstairs at The Bourbon Pub.
The event started as a birthday party bar crawl with about a dozen New Orleans residents making the French Quarter circuit, Bray said. It has grown to one of the major gay events in the country, a welcome economic boost for French Quarter merchants during one of the slowest tourist periods.
The celebration runs through the Labor Day weekend and it comes as needed relief to the hotels, bars and restaurants.
With no fanfare, Southerndecadence.net posted an online message Aug. 24 about the forthcoming Labor Day appearance at the Bourbon Pub by female impersonator Shirley Q. Liquor: "IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. Due to scheduling conflicts for the entertainer, the Shirley Q. Liquor shows have been canceled."
For More Information Check Out: www.southerndecadence.netMiley Cryus & Disney THRILLED About Gay Guys Dancing VideoGet A Peek At Adam Lambert's New Album Photo Shoot
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