BIG SLEAZY
Hundreds of swingers pack New Orleans for 5-day sex fest with ‘erotic masquerade ball’, pool party and ‘flogger lessons’
HUNDREDS of swingers are packing into New Orleans for a five-day sex fest including an 'erotic masquerade ball', pool party and 'flogger lessons'.
The annual event, known as 'Naughty in N'awlins', gathers "open-minded couples who embrace their sexuality" and is continuing to go ahead despite being postponed by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Couples descended on the event on Tuesday, with the festival expected to draw to a close by Sunday.
Penned as the largest lifestyle convention for couples in the world, the frisky festival usually attracts up to 2,000 kinky couples from all across the country.
This year, the event was originally planned for July but was pushed back by several months due to the pandemic, and has only managed to attract around 250 swingers.
The event's signature Erotic Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball is set to kick off tonight with the 2020 festival King and Queen also to be announced.
"This is our signature event and a night you'll never forget. You can finally be happy about wearing a mask, a Mardi Gras mask, beads, purple, gold & green or any creative costume that is sexy or unique," the event description reads.
PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS
Health experts claim that the number of attendees could still pose huge risks which could see the swingers turn into super-spreaders.
"Clearly no public health epidemiologist was involved in the design of this activity," epidemiology professor Susan Hassig told , adding that the decision to go ahead with the festivities was "mind boggling".
However, Naughty in N'awlins organizers say they have adjusted activities in order to minimize risks including temperature checks at check in, hand sanitation stations, color-coded wrist bands to indicate those who have already had Covid and occupancy limits.
This year's event has even been tweaked to embrace monogamy in an effort to comply with coronavirus guidelines.
All scheduled activities are legal and comply with Covid-19 rules and regulations imposed by state and city officials, according to message posted on the event's website.
"The basic public health measures of mask wearing, social distancing, strict hand hygiene needs to be followed at all times," a letter from the organizers reads.
Organizers say they have opted not to open a 'playroom' this year, despite it being one of their hottest attractions.
The gathering has also limited attendees to married couples who have never traded partners.
“We’ve been experimenting with all kinds of things to see how we could make this work and after pumping away for months, we feel this plan is best so our members can still come in 2020,” Naughty N’Awlins publicist Girth Brooks told
However, the organizers note they "hope you will be able to make informed decisions on whether or not you decide to play with others".
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The event kicked as New Orleans moved into Phase 3.3 of reopening, which allows for indoor gatherings of 100 people and outdoor gatherings of 150.
"We understand that playing with others is a personal choice and for many of our attendees that have already had and recovered from Covid-19, this is a reasonable choice with manageable risk," organizers wrote on their website.
"You told us you were going to go somewhere, whether we had our event or not, and were counting on us to make it as safe as possible
"Note that we said as safe as possible. We are not promoting a safe experience—we are promoting a safer experience."
Events for this year include a daytime rooftop party, an 'erotic masquerade ball', and lessons on how to use a flogger.
"Master Don will show you how to use your flogger so that it actually feels good and stimulates you and your partner. Wait til you see his collection of goods!" a post on the Naughty in N'awlins website reads.
"I think what we're doing is responsible and correct for these times," organizer Bob Hannaford told
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"There has to be something between shutting down everything and opening up the world with no restrictions."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
On Friday, Louisiana reported nearly 3,500 new coronavirus cases - the third-largest single-day increase since the pandemic began.
Across the state, more than 200,000 have been infected, and 6,121 have died.
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