Red Dress Party 2024 – Celebrating 10 Years!
By JP Emerson
A chat with Co-Founders Marvin Hanashiro & Steven Shyne and Entertainment Director Vince Dwyer
We are a month away from one of the most fabulous nights of the year. Where everyone (and we mean everyone) puts on their best red dress and comes out to have a good time to raise funds for the HIV Funding Collaborative that supports a number of organizations throughout San Diego County. We had the opportunity to sit down with the Co-Founders of the event Marvin Hanashiro and Steven Shyne along with their Entertainment Director Vince Dwyer to talk about 10 years of the Red Dress Party and what they are working on for this years event. As they say, they put the “fun” in fundraising, and they hope you can join in.
How did the Red Dress Party idea come about?
Marvin: We’ve attended Red Dress Party in other cities so we figured we could bring this joyous event to San Diego! So our humble beginning started in Steven’s kitchen over several weeks (and bottles of wine), planning the logistics of starting a non-profit and the event itself. To fund the first event, we launched an Indiegogo campaign for $10,000 and were able to raise that amount in three days.
Steven: We wanted to make sure that San Diego had an opportunity for an event like this, that was both fun and fundraising.
Vince: and while not an original idea, I think we have done it best. I love the team that I work with. Starting something with two if your closest friends and in a city that gets behind things like San Diego really makes it rewarding. So it’s been a lot of fun seeing it grow over the last 10 years.
Why dresses?
Marvin: It’s a way to unite attendees in one radiant theme and homage to the original Red Dress Party in Portland.
Vince: Red is the signifying color for HIV and AIDS awareness worldwide. But I think there is a very fun aspect to it and there is also sort of a part that it takes you out of your comfort zone, and so seeing everyone take on the same position and we all level set everyone is in a dress, it does not matter how you identified we are equal in our red dress.
Steven: The origin story is pretty interesting too, during the AIDS crisis there where number of people who said instead of showing up in all black, please wear a red dress at my funeral. And so, it really started with the solidarity, it started with maybe having a little bit of playfulness and we have taken that to heart. Our tag line is “To Be Brave” and it does take a little bit of bravery for some people to wear a dress, so Be Brave, let loose and celebrate impact.
Explain the importance of events like the Red Dress Party?
Marvin: To raise awareness and education around HIV and crucial funds to support San Diego-based HIV service organizations.
Vince: Seeing San Diego just really get behind this event and have fun I think it has been incredible, just seeing the size of the party grow, we started our first event at just over five hundred people and we more than double that in 10 years. I think also seeing a younger population of people getting involved and feeling that just by purchasing a ticket to the event which is something they can actually do, that they are helping a big cause so they don’t have to feel like they have to donate a lot of money or have a lot of money to take part in something that is really doing something helpful.
Can you give us some details on this year’s theme?
Vince: we had a really great time planning this year’s party. You know 10 years is a big deal, and we are so excited and so honor to have a community that really rallies behind our event. Both the fun part of it but also the cause. We had really amazing themes, we had a Farris wheel, we have had circus acts, we have had contortionists and burlesques acts at our party. This year we are taking on a casino royal theme and we will actually have a very fun fake gambling set up for you so you can come and play the tables and everything you play will be donated of course to the cause but you will also have the opportunity to win some prices.
Steven: All of our prices are starting at $300 dollars and there are many prices to be had.
How can folks get involved?
We are always looking for committed and energetic volunteers to help us throughout the year with tasks like graphic design, reaching out to new sponsors, and staffing our events! And you can always support the main event by purchasing tickets at www.reddresspartysd.com.