What is Naughty in N'Awlins? 5-day sex bender with swingers, orgies and erotic balls held despite coronavirus
Alarm bells have been ringing with the increase in the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and projected numbers are looking grim with many state governors clamping down on large scale public gatherings to curb the impact. However, in the middle of this comes the news of how hundreds of people are in New Orleans for an annual swinger's event that is going ahead despite the threat of coronavirus. The frisky five-day festivity is known as 'Naughty in N'awlins' and it kicked off on Tuesday, November 10, despite an increase in Covid-19 cases across the city. The event comes to a close on November 15.
“Naughty N'awlins is the largest lifestyle convention for couples, in the world. With over 1,000 couples, this event is not only a full takeover of one of the French Quarter's biggest hotels, it takes over Bourbon St. But you have to register to get into the hotel or any of the over 30 private parties during the convention. You can't book individual nights or get access to our seminars or private parties. It is a 3 or 4 night, full convention package, with so much entertainment, parties and fun, you will want to be there for the entire event,” described the official website of the event. “Naughty N'awlins isn't just a bunch of parties, we bring in the top entertainers to entertain you each evening, giving you a world-class event. Each night you can go to the main dance, or you can check out our amazing lineup of talented performers or do both,” the website for the event claims.
The event is usually held every summer, mostly July and attracts up to 2,000 kinky couples from all across the country. This year, the event was pushed back to November due to the pandemic and has only managed to attract around 250 swingers. However, health experts claim that the number still poses 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 NOLA.com, adding that the decision to go ahead with the festivities was “mind boggling.” But Naughty in N'awlins organizers say they have adjusted activities in order to minimize risks. This time, the gathering has also limited attendees to married couples who have never traded partners. Organizer Bob Hannaford, a New Orleans resident and one half of The Kinky Couple — says the group worked with state and city officials to prepare for the event and that the state fire marshal pronounced the group a "model compared to other events they've been dealing with." He says there is a mask mandate and that attendees are taking classes and participating in smaller seminar groups than usual. Hannaford also says he is promoting safe sex among attendees and that they will be sporting wristbands to signify whether or not they have already had Covid-19 or have recently tested negative.
Events for this year include a daytime rooftop party, an 'erotic masquerade ball', and lessons on how to use a flogger from a man named "Master Don". "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," Hannaford told NOLA.com. "There has to be something between shutting down everything and opening up the world with no restrictions." On Friday, November 13, 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 residents have been infected and 6,121 have died.