A Small Town Is Destroyed at Prompeii
“Prompeii” isn’t just a party, it’s an extravaganza. There
are hundreds of people in beautiful costumes mingling inside a
meticulously decorated club in the heart of Belltown. The theme is
pretty loose, so the costume genres are somewhat eccentric: Mostly, the
outfits are ancient-Roman themed, but there’s also some Greek
mythology, Lord of the Rings, and “gay” speckled throughout the
crowd.
Later in the evening, “Mount Vesuvius” is set to erupt. In the back
of the club there’s a large black cloth volcano surrounded by
cardboard houses. For snacks there are bizarre but cute tater-tot
mountains with blue flames shooting out the top. The “Catastrophe
Cooler,” which contains ginger-infused vodka that has been soaking for
six weeks, is the drink special. The bartender lets people know that
even though it doesn’t taste very strong, it has been specifically
engineered to fuck people up. The drinks sell out quickly.
At 11:11 p.m. the room begins to fill with an unbelievably thick
cloud of fake smoke. Confetti rains from the ceiling and “Eruption” by
Van Halen is cranked over the speakers. There’s a masking-tape
perimeter around the volcano—no one is exactly sure what’s going
to come out of it or if they’re safe standing in the front row.
Thankfully, it’s not a giant mound of vinegar and baking soda inside:
Three women in red dresses emerge and begin to trash the city of
Pompeii. Everyone stands still, transfixed, as the lava women smash
the shit out of the cardboard boxes, until one of them screams, “Start
dancing!” and out of the flames and destruction a party is born.
JEFF KIRBY
Want to make The Stranger feel like a total idiot for
showing up in a black T-shirt and jeans to your party? E-mail
the date, place, time, and party details to partycrasher@thestranger.com.