Bringing Back the Warehouse Party With Bacon

[divider]Humble Beginnings[/divider]

The Bacon Ball started as an after party in a Portland basement, with free bacon treats following a Polish Ambassador show. Talk generated for weeks following the event, so the organizers began throwing very private, very underground warehouse raves for friends.  The focus from the beginning has been on vibe and community.  Eventually the parties became a regular thing, and the organization moved into a new location.  With flyers and call-in phone numbers a distant memory of the 1990’s, event promotion is now solely done on Facebook.

[divider]Bacon Ball VI: Ice Jungle[/divider]

The sixth Bacon Ball was the largest yet.  The public Facebook event had an invite list of over 3,000, and more than 600 people confirmed they were attending.  It’s no surprise that like Bacon Ball V, they sold out and reached capacity.  The event started at 9:00 pm and a large crowd was already generated by 9:30 pm.    Those who arrived after 11:30 pm were met with the unfortunate news that they’d have to wait for people to exit before they could enter, so as not to break fire code.  Thankfully, the wait in the January cold was never too long, and they could soon be joined with the approximate 300 attendees adorned in outfits, inspired by ice, the jungle, or a combination of the two.  There were also people dressed in myriad other costumes including: a teletubby, Rainbow Dash (a My Little Pony character), a banana, and a crocodile.  It was self-expression at its finest and there was no wrong way to dress.

Photo Credit: MDTdesign

Though the setup cannot compete with the massive festivals of today, the DIY decorations made the event come alive with character and heart.  Attendees had the opportunity to add their own personal touch, with highlighters on the large piece of butcher paper tacked against the wall and lit with blacklights.  There were acrobats in silks and hoops, performing jaw-dropping stunts on stage.  There was even a wacky inflatable tube man.  It may not be what the underground warehouse parties were like in the 90’s, and that’s ok.  This is what they look like now, and they are probably just as fun.