Weekend Roundup: Gay Bowl XIV, ‘Born This Way’ Bingo, Gaymer Parties Galore

Tabu will play host to the Gay Bowl XIV kickoff event, featuring gay athletes from around the region. Photo courtesy: ShutterStock

While the weather gets colder, this weekend will be heating up: Chiseled abs and killer arms (we hope) will be filling Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar on Sunday when gay athletes from throughout the region hang around for some pre-tourney good will and elbow-jabbing. The event serves as the official kickoff for Gay Bowl XIV.

Based in Philly for its 14th go-around, Gay Bowl serves up a 40-team tournament (28 men’s, 12 women’s) of flag football, with an estimated 650 players coming into the city for the events. The actual tournament will take place Oct. 9-12, 2014, but Tabu will be hosting parties (like this one) intermittently to raise morale and — naturally — money. This weekend will include performances by Songbird competitors Ellie Parx, Stephanie Brown, Robert Anthony and Jo Stones; the best performance of the afternoon will perform the National Anthem at the Gay Bowl. Future events are still in-the-works, but include quirky themes like “Black-tie Flip Cup.” Admittance is $5, with all money put toward hosting next year’s tourney.

1-4 p.m., $5, Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar, 200 S. 12th St.

Friday:

• NSFW capitalizes on all of that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hub-bub this week by throwing a Fanboys/Gamergirls NSFW Dance Party, hosted at Khyber Pass Pub.
• In a continued effort to shake up the bars-and-booze combo of gay social life, Chapterhouse Cafe is playing host to Blend, a mix of coffee and board games.
• This weekend is all about the gaymers: William Way is hosting a gaming-specific party in its “game loft” space. They’ve got a Wii and a PlayStation 3; otherwise, it’s BYOC: bring your own console.

Saturday:

• stadler-Kahn hosts a children’s Chanukah event from 2-4 p.m., with the space decked out with gnomes, fairies and every other piece of seasonal decor you could think up. (Designs by: Local artist and early-childhood educator Christina McCabe.)
• Voodoo Vixens battle the Sadistic Sweethearts at Penn Jersey Roller Derby.
• Voyeur channels parties of old at PURE by hosting its DECADENCE dance party, featuring DJ James Anthony on the Main Floor.
• Woof: The big, hairy fun of Bearlesque is back for its fourth iteration.
• Unleash your inner monster at Saturday’s Born This Way-themed GayBINGO.
• Dust off the whips and chains: It’s time to put them to good use for this year’s Diabolique Ball kink-and-fetish charity fundraiser.

Sunday:

• Oh look, it’s Barbra! Well … sort of. It’s Tabu’s Broadway-themed Drag Brunch.
• Stop by Mojo Main in Newark, Del., for a Cajun dinner and a heaping helping of divas.
• Drink up: White Dog Cafe has a bottomless Mimosa, Bloody Mary and Sangria brunch special. It’s not gay-specific, but it had might as well be.