The Circuit refers to an ongoing series of gay themed parties thrown in pretty much every major metropolitan area in the country at various times throughout the year. The gay circuit is a modern offshoot of the rave movement, which hit its apex in the early-to-mid 90s, and has since dwindled. Circuit parties are characterized by huge, overwhelmingly male crowds ­ larger events can draw as many as 25,000 attendees ­ multiple DJs spinning various permutations of house music, elaborate lighting and decoration, live musical or theatrical performances, gratuitous nudity, and shameless glow-stick waving. Some circuit events ­ like the Black Party in New York ­ are for-profit endeavors, but many are held as benefits for local GLBT and HIV/AIDS-related charities.

We believe any gay event is a great opportunity to educate participants about the dangers of substance abuse, to reinforce the crucial importance of safer sex, and to foster the community values of self-control, self-respect, mutual respect and, yes, love. We are taking full advantage of this opportunity and to provide safer sex educational materials and condoms to all guests. Additional safer sex education should be available through local AIDS prevention projects.

Most parties have their own Web sites where you can view event listings and descriptions, read DJ rosters and bios, and check out the various charities benefiting from the events. You can also order tickets for just about everything online ­ often for a lot less than you'd pay at the door.

Are circuit parties expensive?
The granddaddy of all one-nighters, the Black Party, commands a cool $100 a ticket, and most main events cost between $45 and $70 a head. Opening, closing, and after-hours events are usually somewhat less ­ between $20 and $35 ­ but still a lot more than you'd pay for an ordinary night out. Factor in a hotel if you're staying out of town, transportation, food, and incidentals, and clearly the circuit is not for the poor and downtrodden ­ more for the dual-income-no-dependents demographic. Most parties offer "Host" or "Weekend" passes that include all events for less than you'd pay if you bought all your tickets a la carte.

If you're game to hit everything, this is clearly the way to go ­ but if you just want to experience a main event and maybe the after-hours, it makes sense to pay a little more for just those tickets than to pony up for a bunch of stuff you're not going to. There's also the option of volunteering your time in exchange for free admission to your city's events ­ most volunteer shifts don't last all night, so you'll get in for free, help the cause, and get to party afterwards.