Easter Weekend is the perfect time to flout Christian mores by attending a scandalous, debaucherous Gothic festival. In addition, it is a three-day weekend for most people, and the weather in D.C. is usually quite mild. The world-famous cherry blossoms may even be in bloom.
Easter is not generally a popular time to visit D.C. Tourist season begins later in the spring and lasts all summer.
In the late 1980s, D.C. got the reputation of being the murder capital of the U.S. Now that the crack epidemic is over, D.C. is fairly peaceful and the crime rate has been falling every year. There are good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods, to be sure. The host hotel and potential club venues are all located downtown in the business district and newly revitalized neighborhoods where the worst crimes are auto break-ins.
According to the latest Uniform Crime Report from the FBI, DC's total crime index fell from 46,171 in 1998 to 41,220 in 1999. That was lower than the crime indices in Atlanta; Dallas; Nashville; New York; Philadelphia; Portland, OR; Seattle (yes Seattle, where concealed handguns make for SUCH a polite society, right?); and St. Louis, MO, among many other cities. (Full disclosure: Pittsburgh's is lower.)
First of all, persons under 21 experienced many difficulties in Seattle due to the liquor laws. They were not allowed into many of the nighttime venues, and in the case of the Showbox they were forced to leave after a certain time. In D.C. people 18 and over are allowed into the venues we will be using, and we would hate for people who are too young to enjoy all of the programming to travel all the way across the country only to be denied access to the events.
Second of all, there are many legal issues associated with minors. D.C. has a curfew law that prohibits minors under 17 from being outside in public after midnight (click here for details). There are also laws prohibiting the transport of minors across state lines (ie the Mann Act). If a minor were to attend Convergence without parental permission, the committee could be in deep trouble with the law. Additionally, the hotel frowns upon people under 18 renting rooms without their parents.
After much discussion the committee decided that for our own legal protection and for the safety and enjoyment of all attendees, it would be best to limit attendance to 18 and over only.
BOUND is a goth-industrial-fetish club in D.C. that has been going on for 4+ years and draws a varied clientele including everyone from goths to toe-suckers. As the only gothy-type club currently running on Friday nights, Bound is listed as the club-night alternative to the bands we plan to showcase that night. Because many people feel cheated if they do not like the bands on a particular night, we offer these established local club nights (for which we will provide free admission to Convergence badge holders and trolley transportation) as an alternative. If you do not feel comfortable attending a fetish night, please attend the concert instead!
All of the venues we will be using admit people 18 and over. Usually they mark under-21 guests with large black X's on their hands, or give people 21 and over wristbands to indicate who may drink alcohol and who may not. In addition, the committee is planning a Sunday social event geared toward goths under the age of 21.
In the general area of the hotel and venues, there are a number of all-night restaurants including Annie's Paramount Steak House, D.C. Cafi, Ben's Chili Bowl, and Kramerbooks and Afterwords. Most pizza delivery places deliver until 2 a.m., and we have arranged with the Hyatt to keep the deli that is right in the hotel lobby open as late as we want it. We have proposed 4 a.m.
The world-class Metro subway system runs until midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights and costs $1.10 within the city. For the Friday, Saturday and Sunday night events we will provide transportation in the form of tourist trolleys specially hired to transport Convergence goers between the hotel and venues. The cost of these trolleys is included in admission. Also, cabs are plentiful and inexpensive; an average ride within the downtown area runs $5.50, plus $1.50 for each additional person.
In the summer, D.C. weather can get unbearably hot and humid. That is why we proposed Easter weekend, because the weather has not gotten hot yet. In April, the average low temperature is 42oF, the average high is 72o, and the average rainfall is 2.93 inches.