This past Victoria Day long weekend we celebrated the old queen’s birthday at the first annual Weekend of Kink (WoK). Sponsored by Twelve High Chicks, WoK 2015 was a joint project of four groups that operate, promote, and host various kink events, shows, and parties in the Vancouver area as well as other local sex-positive organisations.
The main organizer of the weekend, Reive, is one half of NOIR Fetish Ball, a monthly East Van fetish night. The other presenting organisations were Consent Productions, MVK: Metro Vancouver Kink, and PLUR (Peace Love Unity Respect) Productions.
As well as on Facebook, more information on these and other involved sex-positive groups and events can be found on kinky social media site FetLife; account registration is required but free for those interested or even just curious.
The weekend started with Friday night’s opening party at the Astoria Pub on East Hastings, temporary home of the NOIR Fetish Ball. In the front-and-centre dungeon there was an assortment of bondage equipment including a spanking bench, a cage, and a wooden pentagram to restrain willing bottoms.
The hard-rocking DJs, dj://spaz and Cinescape, kept the dance floor going as people mingled, danced, played and made new friends.
Before I knew it the bar was closing. While some kinksters were headed to private parties and dungeons to enjoy the weekend in true Victorian fashion I knew it was best to pace myself so I headed for my own bed; I still had two more nights of parties and two days of seminars to go, this was just the warm up.
Saturday afternoon consisted of seminars and creativity to choose from, all found among the many rooms that make up Vancouver Art and Leisure.
At the Naked Paint Play Party, hosted by The Bare Arts, people were covered in paint and then had a canvas pressed against them to create a lasting work of art, suitable for framing.
The seminars, hosted by MVK, were ‘Needle Play’, ‘Bottoming from the Ground Up’, ‘Knife Play’, and ‘Bondage for Sex’ with LaughingDragon (kink consultant on the movie Fifty Shades of Grey).
After attending a few of these kinds of seminars and workshops what becomes obvious is the amount of detailed knowledge that kinksters gather in their areas of interest, covering every conceivable scenario to ensure the safety and well-being of those playing.
Saturday night was a huge event and very well attended, I would guess that over 200 people came to party down with four DJs in two rooms: in the main room Logik and Kasey Riot and in the second room AppleCat and DJ Markus Edge. Saturday’s party was MC’ed by Laya Lushcious.
Upon entering, guests were asked to fill out a name tag and optionally to list their kink preference, if they’re a top or bottom, and if they were looking to play and how. Consent Productions volunteers floated about the venue throughout the evening, wearing ‘Cupid’ badges identifying them as matchmakers able to help like-minded people meet — no pressure since their theme, as always and as it should be, is ‘consent’.
Being the kind of reporter who wants to get the full story I was only too happy to fill one of these volunteer slots.
During the evening, on the main room stages we had the pleasure of kinky performances presented by Lushious Entertainment featuring: Mr. Diva with a drag acro dance; Justine Sane, performer/model of Lost Girls Burlesque; and Bloody Betty with a gorelesque performance.
As if demos by a steady stream of ‘rope bunnies’ in between acts wasn’t enough to keep your attention, there was also a demo of fire play by Reive with porn star Ashlee Jayne.
The fully-equipped Dungeon, with clearly identifiable Vancouver DM Team dungeon monitors, saw steady use throughout the night as did the ‘rigging room’. There were also suspension points in the ceiling in other rooms and areas of the venue that saw lots of use too. And there was even a ball pit for those wanting to ‘take a dive’.
Two wet bars helped to keep drink lines short which didn’t turn out so well for me — my evening was cut short when I had to take someone home who had too much to drink.
I wasn’t able to make it to the Sunday workshops, again hosted by MVK, but they were ‘Navigating Negotiations’, ‘Flexibility Training for Bondage Bottoms’, ‘Dungeon Etiquette 101’, and ‘Flogging 101’. And kinky creativity with a Fetish Photo Safari hosted by The Bare Arts and lead by photographers Sean Lind & Groper Photos.
Sunday night’s party was understandably a bit quieter as I’m sure more than a few kinksters were feeling the pinch from the last two days and nights of partying. But even with on-and-off-again rain it was another amazing evening.
Once again there were two rooms with lots of space for dancing with Erotica Electronica’s DJs AppleCat and TAABu in the main room and keeping the second room bouncing were dj://spaz and Jeremy Inkel.
Performances by Lushious Entertainment and Vertigo had everyone crowded into the main room for some extremely entertaining acts by Ruby Slickeur on Sex-ucation as well as Chastity Twist and Laya Lushious in a fire fetish burlesque show. On the second stage in the main room Meghan Engel and Liam Helmer showed us what a ‘Suspension Violin’ looks like.
These stages were also available in between acts for kinksters to use, so anyone wanting to play didn’t have to wait very long, if at all, to use a suspension point or some piece of dungeon equipment.
As the night wore on small groups of people started saying goodnight and exchanging contact information as they prepared to journey on into the night and whatever other adventures waited.
A full weekend VIP pass was $75 and a bargain at that price for sure, or people could also just pay for each day or event they wanted to attend.
I have to say that this really showed a true sense of unity and community support, with so many different groups in the Vancouver kink scene coming together to make this amazing weekend the success that it was. Hats off to them, and other items of clothing as well.
I can’t wait till next year.
