Sunset Thomas San Francisco Engagements & Exotic Erotic Ball

Sunset Thomas is scheduled to perform feature dances at the New Century Theater in San Francisco on October 23rd and 24th, with two shows each night. Following these performances, Thomas will appear with Chuck Nutt at the Exotic/Erotic Ball on Treasure Island on Saturday, October 25th.

Sunset Thomas Engagements

Sunset Thomas will be in San Francisco for multiple engagements in October. Her schedule includes feature dancing at the New Century Theater on October 23rd and 24th, where she is slated for two shows nightly. Subsequently, on October 25th, Thomas is set to appear at the Exotic/Erotic Ball. This appearance will feature her alongside Chuck Nutt, described as a Hip Hop Sensation. The Exotic/Erotic Ball is scheduled to take place on Treasure Island.

The Exotic/Erotic Ball: A San Francisco Tradition

The Exotic Erotic Ball, also known as The Ball or Perry Mann's Exotic Erotic Ball, was an annual adult-themed event held in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It ran for three decades, from 1979 to 2009, typically on a weekend before Halloween night. Over its 30-year run, the event attracted nearly half a million attendees, with attendance growing steadily each year until 2010. The event was canceled in 2010 due to poor ticket sales and cost overruns, and no plans were made for a 2011 ball.

The Exotic Erotic Ball was characterized as a costume party, burlesque show, and swingers’ convention. Attendees often came in elaborate Halloween costumes to compete in an annual "Best Costume" contest, which in later years offered prize money and merchandise in the US$10,000 range. The event featured a broad spectrum of conventional and unconventional entertainment across multiple stages. The City of San Francisco issued three proclamations for “Exotic Erotic Ball Day,” twice by Mayor Willie Brown in 1999 and 2001, and once by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004, recognizing the event's worldwide popularity.

Paul Nathan, who served as the ball’s host, emcee, and entertainment director for approximately 20 years, described it as "certainly a unique event." The ball began as a clothing-optional party in the late 1970s in a Tenderloin penthouse. Its precursor was a 1978 party in Perry Mann's Hyde Street apartment. The following year, the event moved to California Hall on Turk Street, marking the official birth of the Exotic Erotic Ball. The event expanded rapidly, with thousands attending in 1989, just days after the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Around the turn of the millennium, the ball relocated to the Cow Palace in Daly City to accommodate thousands of attendees. Tickets for the event were priced close to $100, and attendees often spent weeks planning their attire, which ranged from gold lamé to R-rated police uniforms. Despite its success in San Francisco, attempts to replicate the ball in other cities, including New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, were unsuccessful, leading to financial losses for organizers. The Exotic Erotic Ball was considered the world’s longest-running adult-themed gathering until the Folsom Street Fair surpassed it.

The Erotic Ball Returns

A separate event, "The Erotic Ball," is scheduled to return to San Francisco. This event combines a fetish costume extravaganza, bondage, burlesque performances, and a swingers’ convention. It is set to take place on June 27 at The Legendary Club End Up, kicking off San Francisco's Pride weekend. The event highlights include captivating burlesque shows and a fetish costume party. Performances by Twisted Windows are also featured, showcasing suspension bondage, aerial, circus, pole dance, and fetish artistry. Featured Twisted Windows performers include Indigo Mouse & Dragonfly, Nikita & Ash, Drago Nesa, DanceHallDyke & Slab_Me_Harder, Shay & Scarlet Mantis, Artease Dance, Kemo Burns & RJ, and Angel. Go Go dancers are also slated to entertain with their acts and artistry.

Key Facts

• Sunset Thomas will feature dance at the New Century Theater on October 23rd and 24th.
• Sunset Thomas will appear with Chuck Nutt at the Exotic/Erotic Ball on Treasure Island on October 25th.
• The original Exotic Erotic Ball ran annually from 1979 to 2009 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• The Exotic Erotic Ball was canceled in 2010 due to poor ticket sales and cost overruns.
• The Exotic Erotic Ball was recognized by the City of San Francisco with three proclamations for “Exotic Erotic Ball Day.”
• A separate event, "The Erotic Ball," is scheduled for June 27 at The Legendary Club End Up.