If you haven’t heard of Torture Garden, they are an insanely popular/famous event group dedicated to bringing the best in BDSM, kink, and electronic events to London and the worldwide stage starting in the early 90’s. I originally discovered them on Instagram a few years ago and have been lusting to attend one of their events ever since.
Dexx and I recently found ourselves on a European trip that just happened to set us in London for TG’s June Ball. I could NOT pass up the opportunity to attend! The event was on a Saturday night and Dexx and I spent all day Saturday shopping for an outfit for him. This may sound like Dexx is a fashionista but in reality, TG has one of the most strict dress codes of any event I’ve ever seen or heard of. This is not merely a “no tennis shoes or ripped clothes” type of dresscode. TG goes to great lengths to make sure that all guests adhere to their high standard of fetish, goth, alternative, and beyond! In fact, their website makes sure to spell out exactly what is allowed to the letter. It was a fun challenge shopping for Dexx. We made a pitstop at Liberation Latex where I got to see him in latex for the first time! In the ended we opted for something else equally fantastic but a slight bit cooler to wear. Everywhere we went shopping, people had heard of Torture Garden. This party, despite it’s more alternative theme is a staple of London. It’s no surprise that kink and fetish are much more accepted here than in the states.
I had planned my outfit all the way back in LA and made the trek across the ocean with it in tow. A black lace bodysuit, red waist cincher, leather posture collar, red thong, and giant hair with black feathers completed my look. I knew nothing I wore could compare to the clothes we would see so I didn’t agonize overly much on it.
We were meeting a few of Dexx’s friends from London at Fire, the venue for this month’s ball. We dressed in some suitable street clothes over our outfits and we were on our way! I felt very nervous going to this particular party mostly due to not knowing what to expect! TG does a great job of including all areas of kink, so I assumed folks would be friendly at least.
Upon arrival, we met up with our friends and went to get in line. We got a full bag inspection and pat down and my chewing gum was confiscated *sob* 😉 We then entered the space. Our first goal was to locate coat check so we could ditch our vanilla clothes. Once inside, we stripped down to our real outfits and I navigated my way all the way through the space to the back patio where coat check was located. The space was extremely dark as my eyes adjusted so I almost missed it. I also thought it would have made more sense to have coat check located nearer to the front entrance but this was minor inconvenience.
There were several rooms for the event. The lighting was moody in some and different colors with bright spotlights dancing around in others. The main room had several cages and pole for dancing. There was a stage in front of the DJ and electronic music was playing. It had a very industrial feel. Another room contained dungeon equipment along the wall in a u-shape. It was roped off and there were a few dungeon monitors around. Upon further inquiry we found that anyone could use the equipment to play. There were a few impact scenes going on and one rope scene inside of an elevated cage in which a girl was later hoisted into a suspension. That room in particular was very crowded and people eagerly watched the play in progress. Above us were circular projection screens with photos and art playing in a slide show.
We grabbed a few drinks from one of several full bars and wandered about. I loved looking at the different costumes. While they were not as wild and crazy as I had expected, there were many people that had gone all out wearing head to foot latex suits, dresses, and everything in between. Lingerie was a popular choice as there were many beautiful women strutting around. I could tell a few of the men were uncomfortable in their attire, adjusting their clothes a lot and gawking at everyone. Though TG does a good job with the dress code and also does not allow in groups like bachelor/ette parties, they can’t possibly know who is their as a spectator and who is an actual lifestyler. However, I hope events such as these serve as a source for education as much as it is entertainment.
In all the event seemed much more akin to an industrial dance party rather than a more focused kink party. Since it goes all night, perhaps my group didn’t stay long enough to see enough? I was pleased to note that this party was comparable to a lot of the BDSM parties I’ve attended in Los Angeles. Albeit since this was not taking place in an actual dungeon, the LA parties are heavier on the play and less on dancing. But it was fun and unique to have dancing as an option.
Great job to the group at Torture Garden for creating such a vibrant and varied event offering and keeping it thriving for so many
years!
anniebear is a submissive living with her partner Dexx in Los Angeles. She enjoys writing, modeling for friends, animal rescue, and teaching herself how to cook. You can catch her on Fetlife or Facebook.