Dexter Flowers and Cooper Lee Bombardier perform Sunday at Not Enough! Festival
Thursday
Bollywood Bike In with Qurbani – Giving Portland a little much needed cultural flavor local DJ Anjiali and Kid Sister are showing classic Bollywood films outside the Q Center (4115 N Mississippi) all month long. This week features Qurbani and I’m excited to see a South Asian take on the 80s…
Ratatat afterparty with Rude Dudes – Ratatat are not a gay band but they’re hipsters and isn’t that about the same thing in Portland these days? Don’t worry, they’ve teamed up with “Rude” homos for a spanktastic dance party and DJ set. This might be the most mellow Thursday I’ve seen in awhile.
Friday
Mendy’s Big Gay Boat Party – Do you need an excuse to bust out those Top-Siders and sailor hat? No, you don’t. But in case you want to fool around with others in sea garb this is your chance.
Forsorcerers with Hooray for Everything and Don’t – Didn’t think Portland could get any weirder? How about a queer fantasy metal band? Despite the schtick, hoever, Forsorcerers are incredibly talented drum and guitar heros that will aurally rock you into remembering why you love the rough stuff.
Saturday
Not Enough! Queer Music and Arts Festival – Thursday and Friday may be low key but when Saturday starts the craziness also begins. NE is a project from Punkstart My Heart, which aims to make sure that queer art remains visible and recognized. We may pretend to live in a post-everything world but we’re not past recognizing the awesomeness underground queer punk, and the DIY art we can create together. This fest, which includes music, film, performance, making your own art resource table, haircut and nail salon, and who the hell knows what else is a reminder of what we can produce all on our own.
Candy Shop grand opening – Grand style and sized drag queen Exstacy Inferno, along with Beatbox events and Electrick Company bring you a sugar sweet dance party that is sure to please your taste buds and ear drums alike. Sluts in pink, especially those sweet and sticky, get in for cheap. I hear there will even be lolly licking and body frosting contests as well as cupcakes for the lucky first 50. Get your tongue and your shortpants ready.
Virgo Madness Beach Party – Rave may be dead but the party lives on in this 26 hour last of summer blast. People of my generation still know how to party but we do it in places we can chill in our tent and just let the music wash over us. I’m just hoping the weather will cooperate because DJ Sappho has the prime 12:30am Saturday night spot. You can get a taste of her style by checking out the Sappho SoundCloud playlists. But they’re tunes going into the morning and through the next day so stop by any time.
Q Poetry Night with Elena M. Ellis – Elaina M. Ellis, queer femme half-Jew poet, originally from Portland but now based in Seattle, returns to Stumptown with her courageous brand of spoken worship and ability to recover, to seduce, to fight back, to play, to confess, and to make messes. Oh, and you can have a chance to showcase your own poetry if you can keep up.
Gaycation and Make It Good: Queer Music Videos – This monolith of queer dance parties wants to get you out a couple hours early to enjoy music videos by gays you know and love. Hosted by Video Jockeys Kirsten Kuppenbender and Nicoletta Gaywad with special guests Lovers you’ll experience and underground video heaven that doesn’t can’t hold a candle to Total Request Live. Films by Tara Jane ONeil, Kristina Davies, Emily Kingan, Aubree Bernier-Clarke and more!
80s Reunion Party – If you find yourself south of P-Town it’s time to turn back the clock and re-experience the 80s at Salem’s Flipside Bar (285 Liberty St NE). This time you can experience the acid wash and neon spandex with less homophobia.
Sunday
Butch Voices movie night fundraiser with Ballot Measure 9 – This measure was the first time I was aware of gay politics and it’s important to remember the hate first spewed by the now infamous Lon Mabon was a catalyst for change both good and bad. This Sundance winner will also have a Q&A after the film with Kathleen Saadat, one of the key activists in defeating this measure of hate.
