Archive 2017

First a Few Notes from The Metro Underground:  
 

The DC Fetish Ball Celebrates Its 10^th Anniversary (DCFetishBall.com):  A decade in the making, the area’s most respected & anticipated event returns to Ultra Bar on Sunday, Oct.8^th (Columbus Day Weekend). Due to its increasing popularity, this year we’ll be limiting attendance & will absolutely sell out! So don’t wait - tickets go on sale immediately after Labor Day.

DC eXotica Returns (MetroEvents): After an unbelievably successful debut, DC eXotica returns to the district for a second year. Planned for Sunday, Jan 14^th (MLK Weekend) we’ll be back at Ultra Bar for a night of decadence & beauty you won’t want to miss.  

We’re Phasing Out Our Facebook Page (Facebook): Due to the new policies of Facebook, The Metro Page has become almost irrelevant. As a result, we’re now focusing almost exclusively on our Facebook Group & Fetlife for social media.  So: FB Page = to => Facebook Group

Work is Moving Forward on Galleries & Pics (Galleries): We’re currently in the process of posting full galleries & top pics from past events. These include the Final Black & White Ball, Aiyoku & Steampunk Apocalypse (Spring Fromal), DC Fetish Ball for 2015 & 2016, as well as DC eXotica. We’re terribly behind & apologize for the wait. However, we hope to be caught up by the next Fetish Ball in October.  Thank you for your patience.

News from Around the Scene:  

Fall PDF is Cancelled (Announcement-Link): Due to struggles with its current location, the Fall event for Playa Del Fuego has been cancelled. In its place, a new burn has been organized called Constellation. It’s currently uncertain if this will affect the spring PDF or if they’ll just host it at the new location. Indeed, the search for a proper venue is an ongoing struggle for most. Transformus has fallen to the same circumstances & is no more. But the organizers of PDF seem committed & should find good ground upon which to build soon.

Cranberries Tour Cancelled (Announcement-Link): Unfortunately, The Cranberries North American & European Tour has recently been cancelled. The only east coast show still in progress will be New York. According to the band’s official statement, Doloris O’Riordan has been suffering from extreme back problems. On the advisement of her doctors she was forced to drop out & the band cancelled the tour. See link for full statement & possibilities for a future return.

Mixtape Goes Quarterly (Faebook): One of the 9:30 Club’s most beloved nights has shifted to a quarterly format. Celebrating 9 years in the scene, the burden started to wear on its promoters. Although they considered shutting it down, they still loved the night & all it brought to the scene. So the perfect compromise was to shift formats to a quarterly schedule & move forward while creating a better balance within themselves. The new schedule will include nights for September, December, March, and June.

Recent Shake-Up on Fetlife (Announcement-Link): For those who are unaware, Fetlife has recently suffered a major shake-up. Several groups & elements of certain profiles were pulled. This was due to a recent governmental shakedown under the initiative of “Operation Chokepoint” (worthy of note that this law was recently taken off the books). The master minds behind Fetlife have made full disclosure of the problems involved & have worked diligently to maintain full integrity of the site. See link for more.

The Crucible is Now Open & Active (The-Crucible): In case you’ve been living under a rock, DC’s one & only playspace for the kink-set is once again open! After a 2 year hiatus, Frazier & his aligned powers have been working diligently to fight a mountain of red tape to get the doors open. Indeed, the new space is a beautiful venue & marked improvement over the previous 2 locations. They’re quickly gaining speed & now have a very active calendar. So be sure to check it out & throw some support for the new initiative. And congrats on the tenacity to see it through!   

CCPS 2^nd Attempt has Left Them Indefinitely on Hiatus (CCPS): After significant financial difficulties drove the Charm City Play Space from its previous location, a second attempt was made at a new location just north of Baltimore. Unfortunately, things have not come together. This coupled health issues facing the owner has left them indefinitely closed until further notice.  

Big Changes to DC TNG (Announcement-Link):  As of late, there’s been a bit of a shake-up w/ DC TNG. The end result of which is a step in a positive direction. For sometime now, DC TNG has been open to all w/out the usual requirements of a 35 & under group that is usually seen. So ‘The Next Generation’ is spinning off into its own group while the current group is restructuring under Hellfire DC. This new group will serve as a fundamental ‘gateway’ group w/out the age restriction, & will carry forward w/ its current happy hour & monthly play party. We wish them well as they rebrand & restructure the new initiative!

Update for Indecent Enterprise (Announcement-Link): Having lost 2 of its core venues, Indecent Enterprise is temporarily scaling back its once active calendar to take a bit of hiatus while it regroups. This does not mean it’s inactive. Currently they do plan to maintain their presence at regional camps while they sort out issues with a new space.

Diabolique Ball is on Hiatus (Diabolique): But alas, it appears that a recent shake up w/ one of Philly’s most beloved events has potentially put them on temporary hiatus. Please keep an eye out for future announcements.

Skin Two Magazine is Refocusing Efforts (SkinTwo):  With a worldwide following, Skin Two has stood for years as the most respected magazine for the fetish & latex subculture. But in an era of social media & dwindling returns on print media, they too have felt the reality of industry economics. As a result, they are now focused almost entirely on their clothing line & have phased out the magazine almost completely. To which, they do not stand alone. Gorgeous Freaks Magazine has followed suit & is currently directing almost all activities toward their clothing line as well. We respect their effort over the years, wish them well in their new endeavor, & lament the passing of a giant.

Our Love & Best Wishes for Richard & Vicki of Tabu (Facebook): For those who may be unaware, Richard (co-owner of Tabu Social Club w/ his wife Vicki) recently collapsed a lung & has been having a difficult time with his health. Although we expect a full recovery, our heart goes out to Vicky & Rick wishing him a speedy recovery, good health, & prosperous days ahead. Please send some love if you’re able, they could use some good vibes through this difficult time.

New Club Comes to Hyattsville (ClubShadow): DC has a new on-premise brick-&-mortar swinger club! To date, we have not been to any of their functions. But for those groups who may be looking for a solid venue, you may want to check them out.

Antibiotic Resistant Gonorrhea has Hit the U.S. (article): Numbers are still miniscule, but it must be noted that a new strain of antibiotic resistant gonorrhea has recently encroached on the U.S. We don’t want to spread unwarranted fear, but this is a significant development worthy of note.

The DC Eagle is Alive & Well (DCEagle): Also filed under the heading of “in case you’ve been living under a rock” - DC’s one & only gay male leather club has returned to form. The new venue offers a vast space w/ secured parking & an active schedule of events.