Guerrilla Masquerade Party is a bi-monthly event consisting of large groups of people dressed in costumes of all sorts, arriving unannounced at various locations (most often bars). The concept comes from the tradition of Guerrilla Queer Bar -- where gays, lesbians, fags, dykes, trannies, bisexuals, and their friends show up en masse at 'straight' bars, effectively turning them queer for the nite. The agenda of GMP is simply to dress up and have fun. Nothing political, nothing complicated. We just want to add a little variety to Seattle's nitelife, and a little chaos while we're at it.

There once was a boy who grew up north of Seattle, with amazing, loving parents who always helped him make costumes for Halloween. As he got older, his creativity blossommed and his costumes became increasingly elaborate. In high school and college, he found like minded people -- drag queens, deviants, freaks -- and Halloween became only one of many excuses for dressing up. In later years, he found transplants to the Seattle area who brought their own love of all things 'masquerade' to this 'burg, and began performing with them. Under the nurturing gaze of 'The Swedish Housewife', this boy and his compatriots developed into 'the Slice of the Apple Dancers' -- a completely unrehearsed, arguably untalented dance troupe, who's on-stage antics always prominently feature costuming -- from dancing pharmacueticals, to stripping furries, to a sea of Martha Graham look-alikes. Truly, nothing is sacred. But like a junkie in need of a fix, this boy was addicted to dressing up -- and needed more excuses. On a warm nite in San Francisco, while taking over Irish pubs with a band of drunken fags, this boy dreamt of Guerrilla Masquerade Party.

Nope. Guerrilla Masquerade Party is open to anyone who enjoys dressing up and having fun - gay, straight, white, black, brown, tall, short, female, male, transgendered, young and old. The crowd is very mixed -- no one should feel out of place. That's the whole point! We strongly feel that events are defined primarily by the people taking part, not the space or some predefined 'scene'. But to the point, if you feel uncomfortable around 'the gays', you should probably stay home.

To date, over 750 'Guerrillas' are signed up to the GMP Mailing list, with more signing up every day. Of course, not everyone can make every party, but 50-100 people show up every time -- which creates quite a change of atmosphere in any bar. Within an hour or two, there's usually more people in costume than not.

For the most part, Guerrilla Masquerade Party will be invading unsuspecting bars in the Seattle area, but we'll mix that up a bit. Perhaps an early evening at a local Starbucks? Maybe some group shopping at QFC? We also hope to organize special events that might include train rides to BC or Portland in costume. Primarily, GMP will be an over-21 event, due to Washington State's pesky liquor laws.

Not if we can help it. That's why it's a 'Guerrilla' party. We like to think of it as a surprise party -- with the bar staff being the guests of honor. To keep the surprise alive, we ask that people don't tell friends who work at the bars we're planning to invade.

We don't charge a cover, but the bars we go to sometimes do. We'll try to keep things affordable by picking bars and clubs without covers, but that won't always be possible. We certainly don't make any money on this -- if anything, we're losing money. We don't cut deals with bars -- that would spoil the surprise and ruin our chance to see bartenders and bouncers look like deer caught in headlights when we show up.

Dirty Bunny is the founder of GMP. He's a big, booze drinkin' rabbit. As a young bunny, he worked at a cosmetics testing lab, which has left him with permanently damaged eyes - and deep emotional scars. But once a month, he gets together with all the other Guerrillas to have a crazy nite of costumes and the unexpected -- and that makes it all better. That, and lots of cocktails.

They sure did! Play Nice Productions produced a short film about Guerrilla Masquerade Party, that showed in local film festivals. Get your own copy here!

This is the most often asked question, so we've dedicated an entire section of this site to the answers -- check out the 'Costumes' page for tips, ideas, and stores. To put it simply, anything goes. Costumes could be anything from boys in their girlfriend's dresses to extravagant, sequin-drenched drag; from a tuxedo and mask to a full clown costume; from wrapping your body in tinfoil, to a suit of armor. Costume Idea Zone is a great online resource for cheap, easy costume ideas using things around your house. If you're at a loss for what to wear, your sure to find something here.

You shouldn't have any trouble spotting the crowd once you get there -- we'll be the big pack of furries, drag queens, punks, clowns, club kids, burners, and assorted freaks laughing and having a good time. If you're early, have no fear -- we'll be there soon.

Other than using the common sense your parents gave you, we ask that you follow this general advice:

• Treat your servers/bartenders well -- we may be substantially increasing their business for the nite, so we should show our appreciation through tips and patience.

• If we're asked to leave a location, do so quickly, without a fuss. There are plenty of bars in this town, and most would love to have our business.

• If people ask why we're in costume, spread the word. This isn't about excluding anyone, so let them know how to get involved. Throw some make-up on them and drag them along with us. If you need a GMP flier to give someone, ask Dirty Bunny - he's bound to have a stack tucked somewhere.

Although most GMP Seattle events take place on Saturday nights at local bars, we're happy to report a daytime alternative exists. Costume Rumpus is a group of costumed folks who play kickball, tag, and other childhood games in Seattle parks. Everyone is in costume, and everyone is welcome. In addition, GMP Seattle hopes to have some daytime events very soon.