PARTY OVER? Does the White Party have a future without its founder?

Party On?

Jeff rey Sanker, “godfather of parties” is gone. Will White Party gyrate again?

BY NEAL BROVERMAN

White Party Palm Springs founder Jeff rey Sanker sadly succumbed to cancer in May, but those who are stepping into his shoes insist his legendary party will still go on — just not this year.

Under Sanker’s leadership, the event — the largest gay circuit party in the United States, attracting 30,000 attendees in 2019 — had been planned for Halloween 2021. But organizers have now postponed the three-day bacchanal until April 29, 2022, because of his passing.

Nightclub owner Chris Diamond is one of three people taking over Sanker’s company — now called White Party Global (whitepartyglobal.com) — along with Diamond’s business partner, Javier Jimenez, and Sanker’s sister, Diane Sanker. Diamond and Jimenez own Industry Night Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the site of many White Party-produced events, and White Party Global has PV parties planned for 2021’s Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve.

Diamond tells Out Traveler that the addition of the word “global” to the organization’s name is purposeful, refl ecting White Party’s goal of hosting events around the world. But for now, White Party Global will focus its energies on Puerto Vallarta and ensuring that next year’s event in Palm Springs is a blockbuster. Superstars like Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Ariana Grande have graced the stages of White Party Palm Springs in the past, and there’s hope another A-lister will welcome back revelers following the two-year break.

Sanker launched White Party Palm Springs back in 1990, when HIV and antigay discrimination were bearing down on the community. Diamond recalls dancing in the desert and thinking of the elaborate events, with their cutting-edge lighting and talented DJs, Wow, there are places like this gay people can go?

White Party has never been entirely hedonistic: the organization donates a portion of proceeds to the Desert AIDS Project, and Sanker also produced charity events for organizations like Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing and The Trevor Project.

Diamond promises that charitable aspect will continue, although he envisions that White Party Global may choose diff erent organizations to benefi t (he mentions shifting support to The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert). Mostly, Diamond’s excited to have people back on the dance fl oor after all the Zoom parties and isolation.

“The idea is to do White Party Global and help bring people together,” Diamond says.

TOP TO BOTTOM The Renaissance Hotel Pool Party at Jeff rey Sanker’s 2018 White Party; Jeff rey Sanker at the 25th White Party Anniversary at Palm Springs Convention Center in 2014