Bars & Parties
Whole lotto love
July 4th weekend events to benefit Camp Rehoboth
Last year’s inaugural LottoHeart game show at Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. (Photo courtesy of Camp Rehoboth)
Summer is always boom time in Rehoboth Beach and Independence Day weekend is chocked with gay events. Organizers call it “love weekend.”
On Saturday, the second annual LottoHeart game show happens at Rehoboth Beach Convention Center with “hostess” Christopher Peterson. Immediately following, Peterson and his Eyecon review open their “Hooray for Hollywood” show at Rehoboth Beach Theatre of the Arts. Then Sunday night, the 4th, is the Love4All dance, also at the Convention Center and now in its 16th year. The game show/auction and the dance are benefits for Camp Rehoboth, the beach town’s LGBT community center. Peterson’s show runs through mid-September.
LottoHeart was a smash in its first run last year, organizers say, with nearly a thousand in attendance. The Convention Center is set up like a fashion runway with a catwalk and small donated pieces of art — many from well-known East Coast artists — are divvied out through the course of the event, which is designed as a madcap combination of roulette, “Hollywood Squares” and a Vegas revue. Cory Johnson and Chris Beagle present the artwork.
Those who purchase $100 “art tickets” are guaranteed one of the 200 postcard-size original art works. Numbers will be called out lotto-style. Door prizes and raffles will be held throughout the evening. Much of the donated art can be previewed at camprehoboth.com. Online bidding is also available.
“It’s such a fun event, you just can’t imagine,” says Faye Jacobs, a Camp Rehoboth board member and features editor of Letters to Camp Rehoboth, the Center’s publication. “Christopher has such a quick wit and he knows so many of the people there so when the names are called, you just can’t imagine the things he says. He’s a terrible gossip. Such a diva. And so funny.”
Between sets of items, Peterson will preview numbers from his drag show “Hooray for Hollywood” which opens immediately after LottoHeart. The Rehoboth legend, who does all his own singing, does impersonations of Marilyn Monroe, Joan Rivers, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Bette Midler and more. He and his troupe of dancers will recreate production numbers from Tinseltown’s golden era.
Peterson says he was performing as soon as he came out of the womb.
“I saw the lights and just started singing and dancing,” he says. “Actually it’s in my DNA, honey. I’ve been making a living at this for 30 years.”
The native Canadian splits his time between Rehoboth and Key West. He says his shows are popular because people love the pop culture they grew up with.
“It’s nostalgia,” he says. “We all want to relive our youth. And let’s face it, when you get past 40 you don’t really want to go to a noisy discotheque anymore. So you come here, you see a big, fabulous drag show, you have a few drinks and you enjoy the evening. I’m 48. I don’t want to go to the disco anymore.”
Peterson says he does the LottoHeart benefit because he believes in Camp Rehoboth’s mission.
And as for his quick wit, how does he think so fast on his feet? He says it comes from years of performing.
“I’m old,” he says during a break in rehearsals. “I’ve heard every line twice. I just store them away for when I need them. There’s a witty answer for everything.”
At Sunday’s dance, which typically draws about 1,200 revelers and is also at the Convention Center, tickets are available at two rates. Admission, which includes open bar, is $45 but host tickets for $100 include a T-shirt, a listing in thank-you ads and access to a private “Love Lounge.” New York DJ Joe Gauthreaux, who’s appeared at many high-profile gay events, will spin.
Also this weekend, lesbian author Stefani Deoul will sign copies of her novel “The Carousel” at Browseabout Books at 5 on Saturday and at Proud Bookstore at 5 on Sunday. The Rehoboth resident is producing the series “Haven,” which debuts July 9 on the Syfy Channel.
LottoHeart Game Show 2010
Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m.
A Camp Rehoboth benefit
Rehoboth Beach Convention Center
$25; VIP: $100
camprehoboth.com
302-227-5620‘Hooray for Hollywood’
Opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 19
Cocktails at 8; show at 9
Rehoboth Beach Theatre of the Arts
Tickets: $35
rehoboth-beach-theatre.com
302-227-9310Love4All
Sunday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
A Camp Rehoboth benefit dance
Rehoboth Beach Convention Center
$45; VIP: $100
camprehoboth.com
302-227-5620
a&e features
Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
Bars & Parties
Mixtape Sapphics hosts holiday party on Dec. 13
‘Sugar & Spice’ night planned for Saturday
Mixtape Sapphics will host “Sapphic Sugar & Spice: A Naughty-Nice Mixtape Holiday Party” on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at Amsterdam Lounge.
This is a festive, grown holiday party for queer women and sapphics 35 and older at Revolt’s Christmas pop-up. There will be music, joy, and an optional White Elephant.
This is Mixtape Sapphics’ first-ever holiday party — a cozy, flirty, intentionally grounded night created just for queer women and sapphics 35+ who want real connection, festive joy, and a warm place to land at the end of the year.
Tickets start at $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Bars & Parties
Impulse Group DC to host fundraiser
Giving Tuesday and Happy Hour held at Thurst Lounge
Impulse Group DC, a local advocacy organization, will host “Giving Tuesday and Happy Hour” on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at Thurst Lounge.
This event is a special happy hour fundraiser filled with good vibes, great food, and community connection. DJ Obie will be on deck keeping the energy high while you enjoy tacos, cocktails, and the kind of atmosphere only Thurst can deliver.
A portion of every signature cocktail sold goes directly toward supporting Impulse Group D.C.’s work in sexual health, mental health, harm reduction, and social justice for the D.C. community.
Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
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