This Pride event combines tennis, drag queens and poolside dancing
The Ball Boys Podcast presents the Tennis & Tea Dance in West Hollywood, following a successful launch at Indian Wells.
Mark
If you’re in West Hollywood on June 20, you might find yourself at a new kind of Pride celebration.
It’s one that mixes tennis action with drag performances, hardcourt play with poolside dancing, people serving aces and bartenders serving up tennis-themed drinks.
And of course a whole bunch of balls.
It’s the first annual Tennis & Tea Dance – Pride Edition from The Ball Boys Podcast. It’s a one-of-a-kind Pride celebration that turns tennis into a party, and it’s for all tennis lovers.
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Tennis & Tea Dance debuted at Indian Wells
The idea was born ahead of this year’s Indian Wells tennis tournament.
Known as the “fifth slam,” the tournament delivers world-class tennis. But for all the thrilling rallies you’ll see, something has been missing.
In the last few years the main source of entertainment on the grounds can best be described as a wedding band playing hits of yesterday. More recently we’ve seen a shadow cast over the tournament by owner Larry Ellison and his family’s growing media empire and political entanglements, resulting in no Pride or LGBTQ+ events hosted on the grounds this year.
For a sport with a passionate gay fanbase, the omission tells us that while LGBTQ+ fans are welcome to buy tickets, we aren’t really invited to the party.
So we decided to throw our own party.
On the first Saturday of the tournament in March – just 15 minutes away from Indian Wells – LGBTQ+ tennis fans gathered for the first-ever Tennis & Tea Dance.
The party was hosted by The Ball Boys and Out Wide, two podcasts that describe themselves as “gay for tennis” and serve up commentary combining biting humor, LGBTQ+ culture and a deep love and knowledge of the sport.
Local fans mingled with visitors from across the country, and people who might have exchanged quips on Tennis Twitter met in person, united by a shared obsession for the riveting physical and psychological chess match that is tennis.
It was absurd, campy and unabashedly joyful – things that tennis and the LGBTQ+ community quite often have in common.
Whether it’s the kitsch of the Wimbledon all-whites, Naomi Osaka’s latest walk-on kit, the gravitational pull of the WTA divas we defend to the end, or the men’s players posting thirst traps with quads sculpted like a statue – Tennis ticks all the boxes.
For many of us gay men and others in the LGBTQ+ community growing up, it was the safest sport, a respite where we didn’t have to worry about the team locker room and could focus on the game.
Ball Boys Podcast has fun with the gays and tennis
On The Ball Boys Podcast, Paul delves into these topics and more on every show. With a revolving cast of tennis lovers he dubs “Balls Boys,” the podcast delights in everything the sport has to offer.
One moment he’s gushing over our tennis idols’ latest wins, the next we’re admiring Marta Kostyuk’s fierce Wilson kits or discussing which injured ATP player should be cast as the next James Bond.
With recurring segments like New Balls Please, Lobsbians, the BaeTP and Cross Court, we take what we consider a totally fresh approach to covering the giggles, wiggles, news, dudes and feuds of the tours.
And now that fresh approach is coming to Tennis & Tea Dance on June 20 at Le Parc Hotel in West Hollywood.
The rooftop holds a tennis court, pool, deck and full bar. After liveball led by the fabulous Coach B, the tea dance kicks off with DJ Jonjon Battles who will keep you dancing in or out of the pool.
Sip a specialty cocktail like The Lobsbian while watching tennis drag with Anya Body and Icon Lewis – You’ve never seen anything like it.
Plus Paul we’ve brought together a community of organizations providing merch, discounts and support including USTA SoCal, Ace the Moon, Outloud Sports, Los Angeles Tennis Association, LVBL and the publishers of The Open Era and Thirty Love. And 10% of ticket sales are going to the LA LGBT Center!
If you’re a tennis lover, a ball boy, a lobsbian or just totally gay for tennis, this is the place for you. A new kind of Pride celebration built for the LGBTQ+ tennis lover.
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