Fire Island Black Out Party Canceled

This isn’t great news in the middle of Black History Month: A tipster sent me a press release that says Fire Island Black Out (FIBO) — a popular beach party in Fire Island Pines for the LGBT urban community — has been canceled after 11 years. Seems like a lot of people were showing up without buying bracelets. Here’s what the release said:

For 11 fantastic years, FIBO has been the premier beach event for the urban LGBT community, their families and friends. FIBO was never designed as a financial undertaking from which to make money, but rather as an annual event where our community could come together for a day of fun and help raise awareness about and funds for nonprofit organizations that benefit our community.

While thousands of people attend FIBO each year, the reality is that only a handful actually purchases our admission bracelets. The revenues generated from the sales of the admission bracelets were our primary means for paying expenses (e.g., beach cleanup, trash removal, security, tents, etc.). Over the years, our expenses have increased exponentially. At the same time, however, we have seen significant disparities between the number of people who buy the admission bracelets and those who attend the event.

So, this year, we are going to take time to re-design FIBO. This means that FIBO 2014 is cancelled. We hope by announcing the cancellation now everyone will have amble opportunity to change their plans without any major inconveniences.

During our re-design period, we will continue to be a resource for our community using our platforms to inform you about health, social events, and other important matters that affect our community.

We have worked very hard to build the FIBO community and appreciate your continued support and prayers. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon at bigger and better FIBO events!