Welcome to a whole new year. We know there are huge, important, terrible, draining things happening in the US right now - namely, white supremacist violence in DC and beyond; as Black organizers, radicals, and leftists predicted months ago. Stay as safe as you can. Treat the media with skepticism. Give to those in need. Wear a mask and wash your hands.
We wanted to give you an update on our 2021 plans for Royal Vegas Retreat. Unfortunately, a whole lot of uncertainty still remains for in-person events. So what does this mean for #RoyalVegasRetreat2021?
Caption: Nif (far right) and her comm-mates at Lady Yum Pioneer Square under a rain of colorful confetti - photographed February 2020, pre-COVID measures.
We are cautiously optimistic that we can put on our event this year. We are contracted with the MGM Grand Las Vegas to hold our event as planned. And we're seeing health experts say that life in the US may be back to normal by "summer" or "early fall," contingent on a successful vaccine rollout.
However, there is a lot about ending the pandemic that we don't understand yet. What does "normal" mean? Will vaccination efforts be successful in the presence of conservative fearmongering and ableism? Will guests from other countries want to visit the US, like, ever again? Will it be safe to put on an in-person event with hundreds of attendees in 2021?
With all that in mind, we'll be slowly making updates here and there between now and the end of April. We will not be announcing any new or already-planned content, special guests, or any of the other exciting plans we've been working on behind the scenes, until we have more clarity - hopefully in May 2021.
We do have tickets still available for RVR 2021. However, we will not decide a date to resume selling tickets until we are sure we can put on our event safely. We will not hold RVR 2021 if we don't believe it's safe to do so. In the event that we cannot put our event on this year, we will look into postponing once again.
We will only cancel our event outright as a last resort - and even then, we will do so with the intention of putting on Royal Vegas Retreat someday. We appreciate that you all share our vision of a bright, opulent, luxurious and accessible event in the western US - one that brings the greater community together in ways we had only dreamed of before.
We at PPC wish you all the best in 2021. Stay as safe as you can. Support small and independent alternative fashion brands, not fast fashion. Enjoy virtual events like Bay Area Kei's upcoming Garnet Gateau. Keep listening to the advocates at Kawaii Riot, and remember that Lolita fashion isn't an escape until it's an escape for everyone - Black and Indigenous, trans, fat and plus-sized, and disabled fashion fans especially. 2020 united us from afar, clarified our politics, and ultimately our community is stronger for it. Let's have an amazing 2021 together.