White Party

The White Party is the name of several circuit party events held in North American cities on an annual or irregular basis. While the events are similar, they are not affiliated.

Florida

The Florida party, co-founded by fashion designer Frank Wager started as a small fundraising event for the Health Crisis Network in 1985, bringing in a total of $16,000 to help the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 1995, more events joined the White Party, including "The Victory Party" and "Muscle Beach", giving the White Party the archetype for its modern form. In 1998, the Health Crisis Network merged with Community Research Initiative, and the White Party has brought in over $2 million for their efforts. Today, Care Resource, aka/ Community AIDS Resource, operates with over 100 employees in both Dade and Broward County providing medical, counseling, testing, psychosocial, a food bank, and more to their clients.

The White Party's theme of having its participants wear all-white clothing was chosen by co-founder Frank Wager because, as he said, "White stands for purity. White is elegant, non-political, non-combative and makes people look just plain beautiful."

The Florida White Party has been featured in W, Vanity Fair, Glamour magazine, The New York Times, and has been the subject of documentaries on Bravo television network, The Travel Channel, the BBC, Playboy Channel, and others.

White Party Week in Florida attracts thousands of participants with over 13 events, including a fundraising brunch at the Versace mansion, an exclusive beach party, and a New York Times celebrity speaker panel, in addition to the White Party itself. Ramone Johnson, "The White Party" (About.com, 2007)

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California also hosts an annual White Party. It was the subject of the 2002 documentary film When Boys Fly, and was the partial setting for the 2001 feature film Circuit. The Palm Springs White Party was also featured in an episode of the 2006 reality television series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, in which Gordon Fredin was named "Queen of the White Party."

The Palm Springs White Party was described by Frommer's Travel Guide as "one of the biggest and best on the US party circuit ... [with] over 20,000 gay men dressed in white." Frommer's Online Travel Guide

Montreal

Every Easter Sunday in Montreal, Canada a white party (Bal en Blanc) catering to both straight and gay ravers is held. It usually attracts over 16,000 attendees and prominent international DJs such as Offer Nissim, Peter Rauhofer, Deep Dish, Tiësto, David Guetta, and many others.