🎪 UNDER THE BIG TOP! 🎪

Celebrating 11 Years of All Tied Up San Diego

Dark Circus Menagerie: Under the Big Top!

Eleven years.

That is a lot of rope.

It is also eleven years of laughter, nervous first nights, friendships, ridiculous ideas that somehow turned into great events, unforgettable scenes, people learning something new about themselves, and people finding a community where they belong.

This September, we get to celebrate all of it.

Dark Circus Menagerie: Under the Big Top! is our September party, but it is also something pretty special to us:

All Tied Up San Diego's 11th Anniversary.

We want the room filled with the people who helped us build this community, the people who joined somewhere along the way, and the people who are only beginning to discover it.

Expect circus energy, dark carnival fun, playful chaos, rope, connection, and probably more than a little ridiculousness.

Come dressed for the circus. (or not)

Come ready to play.

Come celebrate eleven years of All Tied Up San Diego with us.

Because we only get one 11th anniversary.

September 12th

Under the Big Top!

Celebrating All Tied Up San Diego's 11th Anniversary

The circus is coming to town. You should probably be there.

What Kind of Night Is This?

Dark Circus Menagerie is one of our play events.

That means some people will come ready to play. Some will spend half the night socializing. Some will watch. Some will tie or be tied. Some will wander around enjoying the spectacle and figuring out what kind of trouble they want to get into.

All of those are perfectly acceptable ways to spend the evening.

There is no requirement to play.

There is no requirement to find a partner.

There is no requirement to prove how kinky, experienced, social, or adventurous you are.

You can participate at the level that feels right for you.

Our job is to create an environment where you have room to make those choices for yourself.

The Dark Circus Menagerie Difference

We put a lot of work into these events.

Dark Circus Menagerie is not intended to be a nightclub with some kink equipment sitting around the edges, and it isn't a free-for-all where everyone is expected to figure things out on their own.

There is structure.

There are expectations.

There are experienced people actively running the event.

Consent matters. Communication matters. How you treat the people around you matters.

And we believe having those expectations actually creates **more** freedom to play, explore, be weird, be social, or simply enjoy the night.

If you have attended one of our Menagerie events before, you already know how that feels.

If this is your first one, you should expect a space that is fun and playful without becoming careless.

Who Belongs Here?

• People who know how to behave in a kink space.
• People who negotiate before they touch.
• People who understand that no is a complete answer.
• People who know that an enthusiastic yes is much more interesting anyway.
• People who take responsibility for themselves and treat the people around them with respect.
• And people who are perfectly happy spending part of their evening watching a bunch of wonderfully strange humans do wonderfully strange things.

You do not need to perform.

You do not need to impress anyone.

You don't even need to play.

Being there is enough.

Prerequisite:

Everyone attending Dark Circus Menagerie must have completed our **Getting Started Class** before attending. (There is one on the day of the event that you can take and attend the DCM)

That prerequisite is not about how experienced you are.

It means everyone in the room has been introduced to the same expectations around consent, negotiation, communication, behavior, and community standards.

If you have already completed Getting Started, you are part of the community and eligible to attend.

If you haven't, complete the class before the event and then come join us Under the Big Top.

This Night Might Be for You If...

• You enjoy kink spaces where consent is taken seriously without sucking all the fun out of the room
• You like being around playful, interesting people
• You want the freedom to participate without being pressured to participate
• You enjoy rope, sensation, connection, watching, playing, socializing, or some combination of all of them
• You appreciate events that are actually organized and staffed
• You occasionally enjoy running away with the circus

Solo attendees are welcome.

Couples are welcome.

Polycules, constellations, friends, partners, and whatever collection of humans you arrive with are welcome.

There is no expectation that you pair off with anyone.

What This Night Is Not

• This isn't a nightclub.
• It isn't a dating event.
• It isn't an excuse to touch people without asking.
• It isn't a competition to see who can do the most impressive scene.
• And buying a ticket does not entitle anyone to someone else's attention, time, body, rope, or participation.

Nobody owes you play.

Nobody owes you a scene.

Nobody owes you attention.

And you don't owe those things to anyone else either.

That's part of what makes the evening work.

Important Details

* 18+ event

* This is a sober event. Alcohol and recreational drugs are not permitted.

* The circus theme is encouraged, but dressing for the theme is not required.

* Consent and community etiquette are required.

* Attendance is capped so the space remains comfortable and usable.

* Required waivers must be completed before the event.

* There will be no tickets available at the door.

If you are unsure what to wear, what to expect, or whether something is appropriate, ask us before the event.

We would much rather answer the question than have you spend three days staring at your closet wondering whether your outfit is “circus enough.”

And no outfit is required, just your presence

And Finally...

This is our anniversary.

For eleven years, Renee and I have watched people walk through our doors nervous, curious, excited, occasionally terrified, and sometimes completely unsure whether they belonged.

Then we have watched many of those same people become friends, partners, volunteers, instructors, community leaders, and the people welcoming the next nervous newcomer through the door.

That is worth celebrating.

So for one night, we are putting up the tent, opening the circus, gathering the Menagerie, and celebrating eleven years of this wonderfully strange community we have built together.

There will be rope.

There will be play.

There will be spectacle.

There will almost certainly be cats who refuse to be herded.

And we fully expect at least a few of you to go feral.

Space is limited.

Come celebrate eleven years of All Tied Up San Diego with us..

Dark Circus Menagerie: Under the Big Top!

Celebrating Our 11th Anniversary

NOTE: *All ATUSD rope and play events operate within a structured environment with event staff present. Attendance requires completion of the prerequisite Getting Started Class. This is a sober environment; alcohol and recreational drugs are not permitted.*