Get Hot Rabbit, New York’s hottest night out, on your gaydar.
Hot Rabbit. Cute name, excellent night out. NYC’s monthly Friday night for queer girls is gearing up for Pride and Curve caught up with event producer and style maven Charlotte Glasser to learn about what’s behind the name—and what’s in store for eager bunnies.
Why the name “Hot Rabbit”?
The party was always intended to be gender-inclusive, so it needed a name that was gender-neutral and sounded fun and engaging. While brainstorming party names, my business partner and Hot Rabbit’s founder Emily Hall Smith randomly came across the French term “chaud lapin” (Hot Rabbit in English) and when she looked up its meaning (“ladykiller, seducer, randy devil, Don Juan”) she found it amusing and perfectly irreverent for a party name. It then lent itself easily to the idea of incorporating nostalgia into nightlife events and there have been Bugs Bunny cartoons played on projector/TV screens at every Hot Rabbit since the very first one in July 2011.
So we can credit you and Emily for helping to keep queer NYC nightlife alive?
Emily created the event and branding in 2011 and ran the party solo until 2014 when I joined the team. But every Hot Rabbit Friday has a different set of DJs, dancers, and performers—so the Hot Rabbit family of contributors now includes hundreds of queer people from all over the world.
What was the exact light bulb moment for cooking up Hot Rabbit?
There were so many great queer events in the 2000s that shaped the inspiration for this event, including That’s My Jam, Hey Queen, and Choice C*nts. Emily was throwing house parties in her Prospect Heights apartment regularly for years when people like Hank & Cupcakes and DJ TRx suggested she try producing public events. But it wasn’t until the scene started to really quiet down (after the closing of late great lesbian club Cattyshack) and she felt a lack of regular queer events to attend that she decided to start producing a weekly Friday dance party.
What were you trying to achieve overall (and have you achieved it?)
The goal has always been to produce the type of party that anyone from any faction of the queer community could walk into and feel that they belonged. Diversity, positivity, a welcoming environment, and constant change are our top priorities. We hire an ever-shifting cast of DJs and performers of all genders, races, nationalities, etc. in an attempt to encourage diversity and make our crowd feel comfortable and safe in the spaces we create. We also keep our staff ever-changing to please the wide variety of musical tastes people have, so that the event never feels too repetitive, and so that the audience can be exposed to a wide variety of performance artists and types of entertainment. Our events have definitely grown significantly in size since the beginning, and our crowds have for years now succeeded in consistently reflecting the diversity and positivity we have aimed to cultivate. We’re very proud of what we have created with and for our community.
What is the absolute best way for Curve readers to stay connected with your events?
Definitely Facebook and Instagram, and we’re trying to teach Emily how to use Snapchat so look forward to some good snaps coming soon too (@hotrabbitnyc)
Upcoming events not-to-be-missed, featuring star DJs (Kate Moennig alert!) and do-gooding:
Bad Habit: Official Brooklyn Pride Afterparty on June 11th @ Lot 45 in Bushwick 21+ 10pm-4am $10 Cover
– DJ Monstar and Special Surprise DJ
– Performances by Madison Paige and Toilette
– Portion of all proceeds benefiting Brooklyn Pride Festival and Parade
Hot Rabbit Presents… PRIDAY on June 24th @ Slake NYC 21+ 10pm-4am
Featuring Kate Moennig DJing her FIRST ever NYC Pride!!!
– Also featuring DJ Robi D Light, DJ Chaotic, DJ Avg Jo, & DJ Illexxandra
– Go-Gos, performances and Children of the Night in TWO STORY Venue
– Portion of all proceeds benefiting The Astraea Foundation and The Ellie Conant Fund
Hot Rabbit / Bad Habit PRIDE – Official NYC Dyke March Afterparty on June 25th @ Lot 45 in Bushwick 21+ 10pm-4am
– DJ Sveta (Australia) & DJ Heather M (NYC)
– Performances by Rica Shay & Andrew Barrett Coxx and The Cosmic Generation
– Vogue-Go Magic by Omari Mizrahi and The House of Olympus
– Portion of all proceeds benefiting NYC Dyke March