Review: VAULT FESTIVAL BIRTHDAY BASH, VAULT Festival

On Friday, January 27, the VAULT Festival hosted its own VAULT Festival Birthday Bash, a 4 ½-hour party in The Flair Ground at The Vaults to celebrate the festival's "decade of bold and original live performance." The show's description promised "breathtaking burlesque" and "outstanding circus" as well as a "Drag sensation" host, Rhyss Pieces.

When entering the Birthday Bash, you were instantly aware that it was a birthday party. Two performers dressed as cupcakes welcomed you as soon as you got your wristband checked, greeting you with a "Happy birthday!" The venue itself was strangely empty, with only a few tables, two being used for different activities, another reserved, and the last few being immediately taken by groups, leaving everyone else to either stand or sit on the bleacher-like steps in front of the stage. Most guests made a beeline straight for the bar, located conveniently inside The Flair Ground venue itself.

After taking a look around at the venue, I was then whisked away by a performer in a sparkling red and white costume that reminded me of peppermint to go decorate a party hat. We talked about our day as we decorated our hats and a few other people came to join us, drawing on and adding stickers to the blank canvases that were the white hats. It felt a bit silly being one of only three or four people wearing party hats at first, but as the party continued, more and more people began decorating and putting on their own hats. Along with the hat decorating, there was also a makeup artist painting people's faces, a fun "souvenir" for the night.

The host, Rhyss Pieces arrived on stage in a stunning red outfit with a glorious cape, wearing a bright red top hat that made them resemble a ringleader of a circus. They welcomed everyone to The Flair Ground, which is a new space in The Vaults venue for queer performances like drag (This is the same place that You Shall Not Yass was in a few nights ago). There was a brilliant lip sync performance to "Don't Rain On My Parade" that definitely brought some much-needed energy and excitement into the room.

From what I experienced during my hour at the party, the Birthday Bash was a mix of dancing, acrobatics, and cabaret-style performances that had a DJ playing music in between. A performer that I was lucky enough to see was an incredibly talented hula hooper who was dancing with up to four hula hoops at a time, sometimes even spinning one hoop with her leg while balancing on the other!

One of the unexpected highlights of the show was the BSL interpreter who was honestly just as incredible as the performers on stage! I found myself watching them throughout the show as they signed song lyrics and what the host and performers were saying. The air around them seemed to buzz with an insane energy that I wish could have been spread throughout the rest of the venue, but it was fantastic to see someone signing on stage and basically becoming a part of the performance.

Ultimately, while the VAULT Festival Birthday Bash was a fun experience, it had a strange feeling of emptiness that did not fit in with the whole concept of the birthday party. I was hoping for more from a festival that has shown over the past decade that it is not afraid to go big and get a little crazy.

The VAULT Festival Birthday Bash played at 10:30 PM at the VAULT Festival at the Flair Ground in The Vaults on 27 January

Photo Credit: VAULT Festival

To post a comment, you must register and login.