WildSide presents our 19th Sin City Soirée, May 2 - 10, 2025

WHAT IS WILDSIDE?WildSide is the amazing community of trans and gender expansive people that together make up our VWS Family. It encompasses all who have come through our doors or have connected with us in other ways. Whether you have been to one or all of our events, you are part of the VWS Family for LIFE.WHAT DOES VWS STAND FOR? VWS stands for Viva WildSide. It’s a rallying cry/nickname. Gina came up with that in 2008 when we went out on our own. We wanted to have a mantra that gave a wink to Diva Las Vegas; because WildSide definitely owes a debt of gratitude to DLV. It was their event that first brought us together in person. The experience we had in 2007 (along with the reaction we got when we got back to the photos and stories) gave Nikki & Gina the inspiration to do our own thing in 2008; and VOILÀ, WildSide’s Sin City Soirée was born.WHAT IS THE SIN CITY SOIRÉE?The Sin City Soirée is the name of our signature event in Las Vegas and happens every May (We always start the event the day after Mothers Day to make it easier for people to plan their time off). The first official Sin City Soirée was in 2008. (We know what you are sayin... “But WildSide started in 2007!”) Remember the first year of WildSide, we went to Diva Las Vegas, so while it counts as a WildSide event and in the annual total, the first official Sin City Soirée happened when Nikki & Gina ventured out on our own.HOW DID THE FIRST TRIP TO LAS VEGAS COME ABOUT?The legend begins on the website alt.com's WildSide message board in late 2006. The board was very lively with lots of wonderful characters. The vibe was amazing and it was very much a community. Our darling co-founder Nikki Belange, who was the co-moderator of the board proposed that it would be fun if a group of members got together face-to-face in Las Vegas for an event called Diva Las Vegas. She worked tirelessly researching hotels and making plans. It ended up that around SEVEN people and from the board, a that of original WildSiders at least seven WildSiders that traveled and some of that original group, like Brit Stevens are still active in the group to this day.HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TO WILDSIDE?From 2007 through August, 2019, WildSide has welcomed 1,677 family members to our Las Vegas home.

HOW MANY HOTELS HAS WILDSIDE STAYED AT OVER THE YEARS?To date, WildSide has used six different locations to host our Sin City Soirée. In 2007; Sahara Hotel & Casino, 2008 - 11; Tropicana Las Vegas, 2012; Rumor Boutique Hotel, 2013; Artisan Hotel Boutique, 2014; Riviera Hotel & Casino, 2015 -16; returns to Tropicana Las Vegas, 2017 to present; Bally's Las Vegas

WHAT IS THE PINK FOG?The Pink Fog, as it is affectionately known is the overwhelming flood of emotions that hits you at the end of the 

WHAT IS A VWS AMBASSADOR?A VWS Ambassador is something we ask if you would like to do when you register for the event. It’s simple question but we take it to heart. We ask you to help us look out for your fellow WildSiders during the week. This family gets larger and larger each year and at times; it is more and more difficult to make sure everyone is safe.

So as an Ambassador, if you see someone who might be having trouble because of either too many libations, shyness, anxiety, over-stimulation or anything else, just go over and make sure they are ok. If they look like they might be having a hard time connecting with people, introduce them around a little bit. If someone is having difficulties because of intoxication, over-stimulation or any other altering event, find a WildSide representative ASAP!We all know what it is like to struggle. The Soirée is meant as a time of joy; so in being an Ambassador, you’ll just help to care for our special VWS community when they might really need some care.WHAT’S THAT “WILDSIDE VIBE”?That “WildSide Vibe” is something that once again, grew quite organically in the early days of this event and lives on today. It’s that feeling of inspiration. It’s being with those you have common bonds with and feeding off of each other’s love & camaraderie. It’s about really taking in and understanding that beneath all the parties and glitz, what WildSide is trying to accomplish is to impact each and every one of our family members to take that joy, empowerment and love that is shared for one week in May and let it propel you on your journey wherever it may take you.It’s contagious and has happened to so many over the years, like Gina, Drea and VWS CruiseDirector Amy. Amy came to her first Soirée in 2010. She found her place in the sun and she never left. That spirit of community and support lifted her to live her truth. She now lives in Las Vegas where she plays a HUGE role in organizing WildSide’s annual Sin City Soirée, as well as working with her local trans community. The power of WildSide compels and it can be powerful stuff!WHAT ARE HOSTED EVENTS?Hosted events are a way for you to be apart of the VWS organizing team and also a way to connect with our more intimate past as we manage an ever-growing family. In the old days, we could move around as a group of 20-30 and do things like dinners, limos and clubs together. That helped create some very special moments and a lot of bonding; as we were all “in this together”.

As our lil Soirée now stands at almost 300, it’s a little more difficult to keep that real tight-knit feel we had in the early days. Hosted events help us to bring together more manageable groups of folks for concerts, shows, shopping trips, racing exotic cars, anything you like. If it fits with our schedule and event vision, you will be in control of planning the outing and we will promote it on our official itinerary. It’s an amazing thing when all of us are together but don’t be afraid to break off into a smaller group and explore of some spaces that a group of 300 might have trouble getting into.It also helps your WildSide organizers to present as many opportunities for fun as possible. If you have an idea for a hosted event, contact us through our Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/ VWS4LIFE or email us at vivawildside@gmail.com.WHAT IS THE VWS STRIDE WITH PRIDE?The Stride with Pride takes place at the conclusion of our VWS Rockstar Party Bus Tour. The tour ends at the elegant Cosmopolitan Hotel & Casino where you will be a part of one of the most impactful moments you may ever be a part of.Once we debark from our buses, we make sure NO ONE enters the building until the entire group is together. It is then that we walk EN MASSE (Imagine almost 170 trans folks together as one) through the Cosmo in a show of solidarity, support and visibility. The walk ends at the beautiful Chandelier Bar, where our presence is definitely felt as we mingle and interact with patrons from all over the world; bringing awareness of the trans experience to the masses in a cordial and normalizing way.WHAT IS TRANSMISSION?TransMission is WildSide’s very own house band. An amazingly talented band of rotating Trans/queer identified performers came together in 2017 and have ROCKED WildSide every year since.TransMission is a rock-n-roll cover band founded by Bassist Misty Mounain and Lead Vocalist/Rhythm Guitarist Andrea Scarlett that consists of members of WildSide. Their repertoire includes a mix of danceable party songs from 60's to contemporary and their annual invasion of the iconic off-Strip, LGBT bar, Flex Lounge is always one of the highlights of the Soirée.

HOW DID NIKKI AND GINA MEET? Nikki and Gina had connected on the Alt.com WildSide board. Nikki was a pretty big deal on the board as co-moderator and Gina was just a TOTAL newbie looking for friends anywhere she could find. We had a lot of the same things in common and got along well “online”. When it was proposed to go to Vegas in 2007, it was Nikki who was the reason Gina decided to go. Nikki was doing her authentic thing and was like a rockstar to Gina, (she still is!) So Gina had to meet this amazing person and decided she would go. Nikki was in town a few days before Gina, so G knew what room Nikki staying in. When Gina got to the front desk, she asked to be put as close as possible to Nikki’s room. The attendant mentioned that the connecting suite to Nikki’s was available. Gina said BOOK IT! The cool thing was that Nikki was out and Gina could sneak up to the room without Nikki knowing she had a new neighbor. The rooms at the Sahara were about 17 floors up, so they both had balconies divided by a concrete wall. When Gina heard Nikki, Brit Stevens and Jen get back to the room; Gina went out on the patio and started throwing pennies at Nikki’s patio sliding door. No one noticed at first but it finally caught Nikki’s attention and she came to the door. Gina poked her head around the wall and they both screamed and ran to their connecting doors.

They hugged for the first time and an instant sisterhood was born on the spot. They became the Thelma & Louise of WildSide (Nikki is Louise, Gina is Thelma), so if you see references to T&L, that’s usually a nod to that spirit of sisterhood. In the moment of the first hug in the suites of the Sahara, that magic of empowerment and support that WildSide is famous for; was born right then and there. The rest is VWStory.

For the first several Soirées, Nikki & Gina always had connecting suites and would throw TWO suite parties per trip; a lingerie and fetish night. As the group got larger and more visible, they decided that they would rather use one of those nights to be out among the “mainstream” and make their presence known. So the suite party became a once a WildSide event. The party made it until 2018 when after multiple years of overcrowded, way too loud insanity, they were finally shut down by hotel security for being too big (over 150 people). WildSide made accommodations with a local club in 2019 to hold our PRIVATE off-site version of the suite party and it was a big hit. So while the traditional suite party is a thing of the past, it’s spirit and energy carries on always! 

 ** In November, 2013, WildSide lost a dear member of our family, Tricia Love, whose amazing appetite for life and knack for bringing people together perfectly personifies what this party was always all about. It was the first time losing a family member so in honor of her, WildSide renamed it’s infamous suite party Suite LOVE Nite.