The 29th Annual Exotic Erotic Ball

Exotic Erotic Ball Moves to San Francisco's Treasure Island -
Two-day Expo and Giant Masquerade to Celebrate 29th Year at New, Beautiful Bay-side Venue

Perry Mann’s 29th Annual Exotic Erotic Ball and Expo, the internationally acclaimed Celebration of Flesh, Fetish, and Fantasy, and - according to E! Entertainment TV - “The World’s #1 Wildest and Sexiest Party,” has announced that is has been awarded a coveted permit to move its storied event waterside to San Francisco’s Treasure Island. The move allows the Exotic Erotic Ball to dramatically increase the size, scale, and spectacle of its already ultra elaborate two-day production, which filled and ultimately outgrew the six-acre Cow Palace, where it made its home for the past seven years.

Producer Howard Mauskopf is thrilled with the move. “We had big fun at the Cow Palace and threw some of our best parties ever at that site,” he says, “but, on Treasure Island, we will have greater flexibility, and all the space we could possibly want. Plus, it’s one of San Francisco’s most idyllic and scenic waterside locations with unparalleled panoramic Bay views, and it has its own spicy and salacious past, just like The Ball.”

Mirian Saez, Director of Island Operations for the Treasure Island Development Authority, says, “Treasure Island was the home of the 1939 World’s Fair that featured Sally Rand’s Nude Ranch, which proved to be one of the highlights of the fair.” According to the San Francisco Museum, Sally Rand’s Nude Ranch featured women wearing cowboy hats, gun-belts, boots, and little else, and was one of several unabashed and controversial ‘flesh’ shows first unveiled, so to speak, at the Fair. “That World’s Fair held at Treasure Island was legendary; quite the progressive event, especially for 1939,” comments Mauskopf.

Saez continues, “Treasure Island is pleased to now be welcoming large scale groups and events, especially those that are part of local history, benefit the San Francisco community, make an economic impact, and have a track record for philanthropy - like the Exotic Erotic Ball. We want more and more people to realize that Treasure Island has great and unique venues. So we’re especially excited to be hosting the Exotic Erotic Ball in 2008 and beyond. Sally Rand would be proud.”

The Exotic Erotic Ball has long fostered strong community ties. Over the years, the Ball has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities supporting victims of AIDS, domestic violence, child abuse, and especially freedom of expression and First Amendment Rights.

Founder Perry Mann promises that 2008 will be the biggest entertainment extravaganza in the Ball’s long and lascivious history. “I have three announcements I’m making right now. First, I am doubling the prize money for our legendary costume contests from $10,000 to $20,000, so I am expecting to see the most outrageous and creative outfits ever. Second, I am adding a giant erotic art installation and inviting all Bay-area erotic artists, working in all mediums from paint to sculpture to photography, to contact us to participate. And third, we are renewing our commitment to Independent Music and again working with our friends at SonicBids to host a national competition for the right to play prime gigs at the 2008 Ball.”

"We are very thrilled that the Exotic Erotic Ball is coming home to San Francisco," adds Audrey Joseph, President of the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, "and I must say that I’m especially pleased that it will happen at one of our newest, most attractive facilities in Treasure Island."

The first Exotic Erotic Ball was held in 1979 by Perry Mann in his San Francisco penthouse apartment to raise campaign funds for his buddy, the late Louis Abolafia, who was running for President on the Nudist Party ticket with the slogan “I have nothing to hide”. In the 29-years since, the Ball has grown from local legend to the #1 adult-themed party event in the world, drawing over 500,000 adventurous and liberated souls of every size, shape, and color, and from every continent.

Headline entertainment has included Joan Jett, Chris Isaak, Madonna, Snoop Dogg, Grace Jones, Greg Allman, Everclear, with untold numbers of celebrity guests, and over a thousand of the world’s top burlesque, fetish, and novelty acts. The Exotic Erotic Expo features over 100 exhibits showcasing the latest in exotic fashion, erotic art, adult products, games, websites, and novelties, plus panel discussions on First Amendment rights, fashion shows, and the always popular Human Petting Zoo.

Part Mardi Gras, costume party, burlesque show, and rock concert, the Ball is a hybrid event unlike any other. The entertainment is non-stop, of a limitless variety, and traverses across multiple stages. But it’s the costumes and outfits worn by the attendees - colorful, creative, and captivating – that make the show truly unrivaled. Between Ball and Expo, 28,000 attended in 2007 and over 30,000 are expected in 2008 as the event takes over the beautiful waterside at Treasure Island in San Francisco. All festivities occur over the weekend preceding Halloween, Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2008.

The two-day Expo is open Friday, October 24, 2008 from 2PM to 10PM, and on Saturday, October 25, 2008, from Noon to 6PM. The Expo will also be open during the Ball, which runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, October 25, 2008, for the enjoyment of Ball attendees.

The Festival Hotline is: 1-415-567-BALL (2255). The websites are www.exoticeroticball.com and www.exoticeroticexpo.com.