Top 5 Gay Halloween Destinations

Halloween 24
New Orleans, La. Oct. 25-28, 2007
www.halloweenneworeleans.com

KNOW: The 24th
Halloween is a series of events benefiting Lazarus House,
a home for men and women with HIV/AIDS whose families cannot
take care of them.

WHERE: Head for
the Bourbon Pub and Parade club. Bodies fill the venue
and spill onto Bourbon Street from midday Thursday till the
early hours of Monday.

DRESS: For the
circuit party, originality is key -- it's about how
creative you can get. Costumes are always over-the-top, from
a 7-foot tall drag queen dressed as the Chiquita
banana girl to an airport tower complete with lights.

SCARY FUN: The
costume-obligatory Wild Kingdom Costume Dance Extravaganza
(Oct. 27, 2007, The Sugar Mill, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.; $75) is the
major event and the main reason to sashay down South
this October. Don't even think about skipping the
adornment.

PSST: This year's
theme is "Wild Kingdom" -- so get in character and
parade through the French Quarter to bask in attention
before wading into the party's masses.

Fantasy Fest and Halloween
Key West, Fla. Oct. 19-28, 2007
www.fantasyfest.net; 305-296-1817

KNOW: A little
bit of Mardi Gras, a little bit of Halloween and a lot of
fun with Florida's finest.

WHERE: The bars
and restaurants around Duval Street, between Eaton and
South streets, see most fantasy action take place.

DRESS: A
cacophony of opportunities to flaunt flamboyance occur from
the Fantasy Street Fair to Captain Morgan's Parade.

SCARY FUN: Don't
miss the parade of furred and feathered fashionistas at
the Pets Masquerade Parade (Oct. 22; 1500 Reynolds St.) or
the Masquerade March when a cavalcade of costumed
characters career from Key West Cemetery through Old
Town.

PSST: Unless
you're bringing an entourage to carry your copious costume
options, check party and parade themes before you go --
they're wild and wildly varied.