Combine disco balls, a sold-out crowd, dancing bedazzled women, and top it off with lots and lots of glitter. What do you get? A Sapphic Events party.
These nights are for the ladies—dedicated to women, sapphics, and nonbinary people. But in past years, big nights like these weren’t really there for queer women around Seattle. Hannah Balducci, the founder of Sapphic Events (formerly known as Sapphic Seattle), created the group to try to fix that problem.
“I noticed that the Seattle scene was heavily saturated with queer events, which I love, however these events did not typically cater to my specific community,” she said. “I wanted to create a space that celebrated self-expression and was genuinely joyful, while centering the sapphic and queer woman community and its unique perspective.”
Balducci told us she began advertising the group’s house parties and meet-ups on dating apps like Tinder. “It started off small, maybe 30 to 50 people,” she said, then it all evolved by word of mouth. The strategy worked: During Halloween last year, Sapphic Events organized a sapphic Halloween house party called “Sapphoween,” and over 200 people showed up. To a house.
“At that point, it became clear that I’d need to make the transition to club nights,” Hannah said. “200 people can’t logistically fit inside a residential home.” After figuring out the logistics, she turned Sapphic Events into an LLC and threw its first club night at Supernova in SoDo this past March. She estimated 700+ people showed up, with a line wrapping around the block.
The sell-out parties keep on coming. At their most recent rage-channeling fundraiser party, Roe v. Rave, the group said they raised thousands of dollars for ARC-Southeast, an abortion fund providing services throughout the South. “It was deeply gratifying to see the community rallying together,” Hannah said.
So, given the recent success of Sapphic Events, is Seattle getting better about having spaces dedicated to queer women and nonbinary people?
“Definitely!” Hannah told us. “I think there are a much larger variety of events and groups which cater to this demographic now.”
We asked Hannah to share the love, and she spilled a bunch of other groups that she supports and wants the city to, too. Pull up Instagram and give these groups a follow.
QTPOC Seattle
Kicking off the list is QTPOC Seattle, a queer collective by and for queer and trans people of color. They host all kinds of events, from happy hours and speed dating sessions to dance classes—of different styles. “I think QTPOC Seattle does a great job of offering events to suit different needs—from chill meet-ups to more energetic dance parties,” says Balducci, “and provides a space for an underserved demographic in Seattle.”
Their next event is with Sapphic Events and BeautyBoiz, and it’s a queer community market. The plan is to have 25+ queer vendors at the market inside the Seattle Neighbors Nightclub on October 15 from 1 – 8 pm. Word is there’ll be lingerie, jewelry, pottery, original art, chainmail, hand-poured candles, stickers, vintage clothes, tarot readings, and clubwear for sale. You can keep tabs on future QTPOC Seattle events on their Insta.
BeautyBoiz
BeautyBoiz is a nonprofit collective of queer producers based in Seattle creating live events and media by and for the LGBTQ+ community. Collective members are also provided with event and media production skills training.
BeautyBoiz originally began as an idea among friends for an apartment Halloween party in 2015 that (like early Sapphic Events) had a wild turn out. After moving the event to a larger venue at Fred Wildlife Refuge the following year, BeautyBoiz cemented itself as a group and eventually grew from a two-person team between Kaleb Dameron and Wesley Frugé to become an “ever-evolving” collective of producers and content creators.
“We love working with BeautyBoiz,” Hannah said. In 2021, BeautyBoiz helped open Supernova and began a permanent residency there. Other cool stuff to know about them: They’ve worked on music video projects for CarLarans, Michete, and Alexis Mateo and shot editorials for queens like James Majesty and Cookie Couture. You can follow them here to stay up-to-date with all their events.
Indigenize Productions
Indigenize Productions is an all Indigenous performing arts collective, producing variety shows, parties, and community events for Seattle’s queer and trans Indigenous community. Comedian and organizer Howie Echo-Hawk, one of the group’s founders, began Indigenize Productions after noticing a lack of Native representation in comedy.
“Their first show was in 2018,” said Hannah, “and they’ve been evolving ever since.” Now they’re hosting a regular dance party called Indigequeer with organizer and drag queen Hailey Tayathy, a member of the Quileute Nation. “Fierce as Fuck 3” is set to be their next event.
“I really appreciate the thoughtful and creative themes they use,” Hannah said, noting the dynamic graphics on their social promotions.
You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook to keep tabs on all their events and announcements.
Bump Uglies
Bump Uglies is a dance party curated for every letter of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow, focusing on uplifting people of color. Parties feature DJs, gogo dancers, and vendors at venues in Seattle. In the past, it was held every third Thursday at LoFi Performance Gallery, though it’s postponed until November.
“Bump Uglies is a night to feel safe, supported, and let loose on the dance floor,” said Hannah. It’s produced by DJ Big Ugly, “an excellent DJ who’s able to play a wide variety of genres to get the crowd dancing,” she said. You might hear some obscure ’80s dance tracks phasing in and out with EDM before transitioning into DJ Big Ugly. Whatever the mix, we can bet you’ll be movin’ it.
LoFi posts upcoming events (including Bump Uglies) on Facebook.
Babe House
Babe House is a national solidarity network aiming to elevate QTBIPOC activists and artists in the US. They have chapters in both Seattle and Detriot and put on events centering music and art while supporting mutual aid projects. They’re working to reclaim house music histories.
“I first heard of Babe House when a DJ connected to them reached out to us and introduced themselves, offering to collaborate,” said Hannah. Due to a car accident involving their founder, DJ Applejuice, events are on hold for now. You can follow them for updates on Insta and Facebook.
