New England Fetish Fair Fleamarket

The Fetish Fair Fleamarket™ organized by the New England Leather Alliance (NELA) is a gem of an event. Locally referred to as the "Flea", this is a semi annual event is in it's 16th year with this being the 30th Flea. The summer Flea is a one-day only vendor fair, mostly drawing from the local population. But the winter Flea, usually held in January, is the grand event covering 3 days, which you don't want to miss and is worth traveling for.

Main hall view at Love LA

What's really remarkable about the winter Flea is how it brings together an extremely wide range of interests and different micro communities, subculture groups and the newly curious together while creating a very safe space for everyone. First and foremost it's a shopping event and not a play event. As all the play parties are hosted by the various local clubs around the Flea, but not by NELA. The weekend is very much like a grand souk in an oasis where the various tribes and traders gather, socialize, exchange ideas, news and connect. By removing the immediacy of sex or play, it becomes a neutral, entertaining and safe space for the disparate interest groups to become acquainted with one another. As Cecilia Tan, the founder of the Fetish Fair Fleamarket put it, "it brings everyone together because everyone needs toys."

Cecilia, a prolific writer in the field of sexuality, fantasy and baseball is the owner of Circlet Press. She began the event in 1993 after attending and being inspired by the San Francisco Bizarre Bazaar, which is still going strong. Cecilia figured she personally knew at least 15 to 20 people making kinky toys and she wanted a venue to sell her own books. She imagined it to be a place to bring the various segments of the kink population together and have fun connecting them. She observed that, while there were no real barriers between the groups, they were no active contact between the groups because of distance and lack of networking. She believes that the New England kink communities are so strong today because of the face-to-face connections made at the Flea. At every flea you'll find different groups, organizations and projects with information tables sharing their work with other groups and attendees. Every little connection counts for something.

Tantric sex furniture and the Bonkum bed sling at Love LA

The first Flea was in a rented hotel ballroom with 14 vendors and 250 to 275 attendees. They charged $20 at the door. From which the National Leather Association of New England, the precursor of NELA, received $500, which was the largest single fundraising that they had ever seen for that group. They needed the funds to become more politically effective, through actions such as newsletter printing and renting a bus to shuttle Leather people to Pride.

Today the Flea has grown immensely. The summer Flea, at $10 a head, brings through as many as 5,000 people in a day. This winter flea brought in nearly 3,000 people staying and partying in 4 different major hotels. The hotel rooms were superb and the staff was great to us kinksters. The $20 entry fee covers the whole weekend of classes and vending. The related evening events such as the New Designer's Fashion Show are free and open to the public. That drew a young, fresh crowd along with some exciting small design shops. A Masquerade Ball was held as well, organized and staffed by the Network/La Red, an anti-domestic violence organization. Many of the special evening events turn into a fabulous occasion to flirt and meet new people.

This year 130 vendors showed in a convention hall of 30,000 square feet while concurrently 30 classes were taught in the adjacent hotel. Between the two Fleas NELA raises over $30,000 annually and all of it goes back into the community. This 100% volunteer staffed, not-for-profit event collects it's money and gives out huge amount to support activism and education. They give out grants to organizations and individuals. In the past they've given grants for such things as help in the cost of a club's web design, printing equipment, legal representation, as well as scholarship to activists to attend the Leather Leadership Conference or other worthy events. They also make donations to like-minded local and national charities, both progressive vanilla and leather related, such as ACLU, GLAD and AIDS Action Committee. They also use funds to make education programs in New England possible by bringing in speakers.

Babeland booth at Love LA

If you're an individual activist or work with an organization, do consider applying for a grant. While priority is given to the applicants from the New England area, they are also very welcoming and eager to help worthy projects nationally and internationally. The application form is on their web site.

What's also remarkable is that this event adds, by some estimates, over a quarter of a million dollar in 3 days to the local economy. The city of Providence, with its progressive, art and business positive attitude, has been very welcoming of the event. But in the past hotel owners or city representatives in other locations have been known to be quite hostile to the event, choosing to believe their imagination rather than to check out the facts.

Some practical things if you're considering going… If going to the Winter Flea try to book a room in the event hotel. Since it's an event where you can meet all sorts of people the likelihood of playing with someone is really good. As the event doesn't have a dungeon area, if you're not in the mood to go off-site to a party, you'll need a place to play where you can be loud as you want to be. Bring lots of different outfits. Don't be shy! There's a great deal of dress up opportunities. Cover up the butt, genitals and boobs, and consider an over coat over your skimpy outfit when you are in the "public" area, meaning places such as the hotel lobby where the non-kink people may be. Respecting this rule allows the event to be continued at the hotel and the host city. Bring an extra folding suitcase for the goodies you're going to buy. If there are any vendors that you want items custom made by, contact them in advance so you can pick them up when you get there.

Tentacle dildoes bought at the Fetish Fair Fleamarket from Whipspider Rubber works

The range of items available is astonishing. Even I, who have more pervy stuff than fits in my closets, always end up picking up something new. Purple Passion from New York had a limited edition elegant corset blouse that'll work beautifully with vanilla corporate-wear and dinner wear that I snapped up. An extraordinary find was the glow-in-the-dark silicone tentacle dildoes from Whipspider Rubber Works. Three of them came home with me. Impressive were also the number of erotic art painters and illustrators showing some really fresh works.

The next Flea will be around the end of July in Boston, most likely at the Boston Center for the Arts. The big winter Flea will be around the end of January 2009, in Providence. Check out their site for further info.

Los Angeles Love LA Show

There's a new kid on the block of erotic shows. Many of you are familiar with the adult video show in Vegas and similar events created around porn and the stars and studs of X-rated films. It's a super event if you're a porn fan or want to be in the industry. But it's not such a great event for couples and individuals looking to boost their sensuality. Especially if a person's not familiar with the wide range of human sexuality, such events can be threatening and a serious turn-off. Row after row of gonzo, wall-to-wall smut and endless mondo silicone boobs is definitely not a place to take someone to, if you want to introduce them to some new erotic adventures and your in the US. Other countries, such as Canada and the UK have alternative shows catering more to the erotic explorers, but so far there hasn't been much of a choice in the US.

Aerialist in the main hall at Love LA

Now you have the Love LA Show, conceived by and executed elegantly by Freddy and Eddie. The location of Social Hollywood and Boulevard 3, a beautifully lit graceful space with arched balcony surrounding a main square with a glass roof, usually fills with celebutantes, stars and hipsters. Even Senator Barack Obama held a star studded gathering there. It feels like the private resort villa of the Brit style set. Over 30 vendors representing some of the finest pleasure toys displayed their wares while two different seminar rooms welcomed eager couples and singles to learn from excellent presenters. Kristen from Babeland organized the presentations and presenters. The topics ranged from Sex Toys 101, Strap-on Play, Sensual Tantra to Intro to SM. Vendors included some of my personal favorites, such as Syren latex and Stockroom, Babeland, The Pleasure Chest and Coco De Mer.

The entire event was elegant and mellow. The vendors were not aggressive and were there simply to showcase their products to a curious and sometimes shy audience. They happily answered questions and helped to make the attendees comfortable. The stage shows were cheeky and fun including a sweet burlesque act, a thrilling and sensual aerialist and a couple of gals playing like kittens on a piece of cool sex furniture.

What were conspicuously absent from the whole affair were porn, in-your-face stripper-wear, bad lighting and awful music. This event will do for erotic shows what Good Vibrations did to revolutionize sex toy shops into women and couple's friendly mellow destination spot. It's about time and I'm really excited about this!

The next Love LA Show will be Sunday, February 8th 2009.

Midori is a globetrotting sexpert, who parties and teaches cool classes on fun sex and wild kink all over the world. Want more Midori? Find more of her writings, blogs and hang out with her on line at www.PlanetMidori.com.

The Fetish Fair Fleamarket and Love LA - by Midori

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