Emma Teitel talks to the organizers. Question 1: Is this for real?
TORONTO, ON – JULY 1 – People gather early in the evening at Trinity Bellwoods Park to watch fireworks on Canada Day. July 1, 2014. Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star/Getty Images
Summer is a big deal for Torontonians. When temperatures rise above zero we don’t just switch to shorts—we stop walking to work with our heads down and we say hello to our fellow man. Our zeal for warm weather is so great, apparently, that we have begun RSVP’ing in droves to a series of outdoor city events advertised on Facebook—each one generic, mysterious and massive.
I am referring to a crop of Facebook invitations that promote, among other things, Toronto “block parties” and “beach parties” in June and July—all of which include very few details, anonymous hosts, stock photos (usually of Millennials smiling in the sun) and guest lists in the thousands.
There’s the “Trinity Bellwoods Block Party 2015,” for example, and the “Yonge-Dundas Square Water Gun Fight.” Last but most certainly not least is the “Trinity Bellwoods Orgy.” (More on that one shortly.) There are so many of these vague bacchanals advertised on the Internet that people have begun parodying them. Last month, I was invited to a Facebook event called “Summer In Toronto,” hosted by “Warmth.” (As I write, the group has more than 2,000 confirmed guests; 65 are undecided).
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The Trinity Bellwoods Orgy scheduled for June 21 (yes, that’s Father’s Day) has caught the attention of Toronto Police Services. Trinity Bellwoods is a large park in the city’s west end and a popular hipster hangout. According to the orgy group’s Facebook page, more than 1,000 people plan to attend. Toronto Police spokesman Const. Victor Kwong told the Toronto Star this week that police will monitor the situation (having sex in public parks is illegal) but the event might prove a hoax. He isn’t the only person who thinks so.
Many suggest these non-specific event invitations on Facebook are “domain squatting” schemes, in which corporations and party promoters use generic branding to build large social media databases in hopes of selling something else later.
Philip Tsang, a partner at Clutch Marketing in Toronto, says he wouldn’t be surprised if the orgy is a marketing hoax. Online marketing is very competitive and marketers “are always trying to come up with the next big thing,” he said.
Graham Spencer, a 28-year-old Toronto man, plans to attend the orgy in the park. He’s even posted a suggested orgy playlist to the Facebook group, one that includes songs by Limp Bizkit and the Vengaboys. “Why would someone fake an orgy?” he wrote in an email. “An orgy is a beautiful thing. It’s the coming together of people big and small, short and tall. We’re doing what nature intended while in nature itself.”
The elusive “Trinity Bellwoods Orgy Committee” refused to reveal their identities, but maintain the event is not a corporate scheme. In fact, they say, it is precisely the opposite. I’ve spoken with the TBOC through email about their event in greater detail. Read our correspondence below.
As mentioned elsewhere, it is for real. It is also a reaction to the multiple insidious corporate events that have been popping up all over Facebook and the city. As to whether an orgy will take place that day/night is not within our control. It is up to the people that are there.
People can certainly record the experience if they wish. They should probably make sure other participants are okay with it. Texting and tweeting may definitely impact one’s ability to properly engage in the proceedings and be present in the moment.
There’s no rain date planned, so hopefully the weather holds. We can’t afford a thousand umbrellas. A thunderstorm would definitely add a whole element to the experience. It could be electrifying. We don’t want anyone to get hurt, though. That’s not fun.
People can bring their own snacks. It’s all about sharing. It can be a potluck of bodies and food. Food can be part of the fun. Toys are welcome. We encourage safe sex, but we can’t force people to wear condoms. The mechanics of doing so would be challenging.
We hope no baseball games are played that day out of respect for our event. It would be a neighbourly gesture. A baseball diamond may be too rough a surface for most, but if some participants venture that way that’s their prerogative.
What happens is really up to the police. They are welcome to join if they want. All are welcome.