Outward

For Many Gay Men, Summer Means Circuit Time

Circuit prep is hard work.

Still from ad.

Memorial Day is, of course, the official start of summer, and so, in honor of the holiday, the Outward team thought we’d share this delightful ad for a classic gay summer pastime: the circuit festival. While Outward has no official opinion on circuit parties—the large, dance-focused events that draw gay men from around the globe into one city for a few days and nights of bacchanalia—in general, we do heartily endorse this wonderfully over-produced spot for the weekslong August gathering in Barcelona and Ibiza. First, because it features Rossy de Palma and Chus Lampreave, two legitimate stars of the Spanish screen, in a sort of Rocky Horror send-up. Second, because there are lots of pretty, swim-suited people in it. And finally, because it is a prime example of the glorious frisson that can result when over-the-top campiness grinds up against highly coiffed sex appeal under the Mediterranean sun.