Hot shots

Scenes and party goers snapped at venues and events around town. All photos by Erik Jacobs.
  • Bootie Boston

  • Bootie Boston
  • When: March 26
  • Venue: Good Life
  • The scene: Do you like your Jay-Z with a side of David Bowie? How about mixing Beck with a bit of Rihanna? Bootie Boston is a monthly mashup dance party at the Good Life — you'll hear all sorts of music genres and style in one raucous night. Resident DJs BC, Faroff, and Spencer 4 Hire, keep the dance floor jumping alongside a funky roster of guest spinsters.
  • Oscar Party

  • Oscar Party
  • When: March 7
  • Venue: Brattle Theatre
  • The scene: Sure, Boston is a long way from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. But that didn't stop local film enthusiasts from dressing to the nines for the Brattle Theatre's 10th annual Oscar party. Theater members and friends watched the awards show on the big screen, munched on snacks (popcorn!), and participated in a silent auction.
  • 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'

  • 'Rocky Horror' Show
  • When: Feb. 27
  • Venue: AMC Harvard Square
  • The scene: Dammit, Janet! The Full Body Cast screens the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" every Saturday at the Harvard Square AMC Theatre, complete with props, fishnets, and ribald skits. That's a lot of toilet paper, rubber gloves, and pieces of toast over the years. See who stopped by the festivities on a recent night.
  • Mardi Gras Party

  • Mardi Gras Party
  • When: Feb. 16
  • Venue: House of Blues
  • The scene: We may be over a thousand miles from New Orleans, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate Mardi Gras in style. Laissez les bon temps roulez, right? People crowded the House of Blues Tuesday night for a night of merriment, burlesque, live music, and of course, beads. It also happened to be the concert hall's one-year anniversary.
  • In Thursdays

  • In Thursdays
  • When: Feb. 4
  • Venue: District Lounge
  • The scene: The place to be on Thursday nights? In Thursdays at District Lounge, judging by the line of people waiting to get in. Event organizers Jeffrey Jean-Francois and Kareem J.F. Lyder say the night is about partying "In" style with the "In" crowd. Dance to rap, R&B, and top-40 until the wee hours. Just make sure you're on the guest list.
  • Snuggie Pub Crawl

  • Snuggie Pub Crawl
  • When: Jan. 30
  • Venue: Union Square
  • Pub crawl participants may have looked a little odd schlepping from bar to bar in their Snuggies and Slankets Saturday night — but at least they were warm. The fleece-clad masses in the Snuggie Pub Crawl stopped at the Independent, Precinct, Sally O'Brien's, P.A.'s Lounge, and Bull McCabe's, competing in dance-offs, limbo, and other contests.
  • Wine Riot!

  • Wine Riot!
  • When: April 16-17
  • Venue: Cyclorama
  • The scene: The Wine Riot! isn't your typical swish-and-spit expo and tasting (if you couldn't tell that already from the name). Sure attendees could try more than 250 wines and chat with vintners and experts over the weekend, but there was also a DJ, a photo booth, a lounge, and more. We stopped by the action Saturday night.
  • Maneuver

  • Maneuver
  • When: Jan. 11
  • Venue: Middlesex Lounge
  • The scene: What do they mean by "maneuver"? A dive, a duck, a barrel roll? Maybe it's a stylish move performed at the dance party of the same name at Cambridge's Middlesex Lounge. Brandon Andrew, one of Maneuver's organizers, said the party is all about using the music he grew up with, along with social networks, to build intimacy.
  • Holiday Dinner Dance

  • Dinner Dance
  • When: Dec. 29, 2009
  • Venue: Upstairs on the Square
  • The scene: Yes, Virginia, the holidays are over. But revelers decided to prolong the seasonal magic at the recent Upstairs on the Square Holiday Dinner Dance. The Winiker Orchestra played in front of the Harvard Square restaurant's twinkling Christmas tree while couples foxtrotted and salsa danced until the wee hours.
  • Rock 'n' Roll Bingo

  • Rock 'n' Roll Bingo
  • When: Dec. 2, 2009
  • Venue: Model Cafe
  • The scene: Scenesters and music lovers alike hoofed it to Allston dive bar Model Cafe on a recent night for Rock 'n' Roll Bingo. On the first Wednesday of every month, DJs spin garage, soul, and punk records and the bingo wheel — winners are rewarded with T-shirts and liquid prizes from the bar. Who says bingo has to be played in a church basement?
  • Rise & Fall

  • Rise & Fall Party
  • When: Nov. 19, 2009
  • Venue: Enormous Room
  • The scene: And the wall, came crumblin' down. Rise & Fall, the traveling art and DJ event marking the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, stopped by Enormous Room on a recent night. Party goers checked out digital art from around the world covering the themes of "bringing down walls" or "breaking down barriers" while DJ Ipek Ipekcioglu spun Middle Eastern sounds and Berlin electro.
  • LUPEC Tiki Bash

  • LUPEC Tiki Bash
  • When: Nov. 14, 2009
  • Venue: Villa Victoria
  • The scene: The women of LUPEC created a 1950s tiki lounge, complete with rum punches, burlesque, Island Creek oysters, and canapes at the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts. Uke Springsteen was there, as were the Boston Derby Dames, who skated around with treats from Taza Chocolate. Proceeds from the retro fete will benefit On the Rise.