The Exxxotica tour made its third stop in the DMV area. The show here is smaller with less exhibitors and had the vibe of an intimate affair. An attendee would be able to chat with their favourite star and not feel like they were holding up the lines. The industry talent also told me that the attendees were more likely to spend money at this show rather than just gawk so everyone was happy.
The busiest booth was the Loyalfans spotlight booth with Alex Coal and April O’Neil consistently having people waiting for them. The Chaturbate booth was the second busiest as the cam models regularly interacted with the physical attendees in addition to their online cam room.
The nights were laid back with the after-parties being at a neighbouring restaurant. People didn’t go too crazy, and this show was a good stopover before awards season start next month.
Exxxotica returned to New Jersey on October 25-27. I attended the show mostly to catch up with the boss over at IAFD and get some ramen at this local place called Yaraku that offers a mean cheap bowl.
The show was busy and at times overwhelming if you are antsy with crowds. The foot traffic on Fridays can be bumper to bumper given the free attendance for women. Saturday is steady in attendance throughout the day while Sundays are not as slow as the other locations on the tour. The crowd behaviour was respectful, and there was no alcohol sold at the show presumably due to state law.
Violet Myers
There were less major booths compared to last year, and it made the lines longer to visit with the performers. Many of them were in costume since Halloween was the following week. Violet Myers at Loyalfans held the longest lines with people accruing hours before she was scheduled to sign. Both Alex Coal and April O’Neil had their share of waiting attendees at the same booth.
April O’Neil cosplaying as April Oneil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Alex Coal as Sailor Moon
After-hours is when the alcohol came out as Exxxotica hosted parties each night. Friday and Saturday featured a live band and large crowds while Sunday had a more laid back trivia contest that focused on sex and porn.
Last stop of the Exxxotica tour, this show at the Dulles Expo Center in Virginia was the smallest of the four this year. The energy was overall good, and I had a chance to test out a new ring flash setup for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing on the fly so some of the photos from the first two days were underexposed.
Kay LovelyEmma SirusNikki Dial
I enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones. After blinding Kay Lovely in Jersey with yet another new light setup, I had a chance to gab with this statuesque beauty longer and tinker with both her lights and my flash. Meanwhile, the decorative booth at Emma Sirus caused some focus issues that wasn’t obvious until after I reviewed the photos. I also saw the return of Nikki Dial, who is an incredibly lovely woman to talk to. I almost didn’t recognise her since twenty years is a long time between seeing her.
Delilah Cass & Ivy MinxxxApril O’NeilAlex Coal & Lilly Bell
The afterhours of the convention were a little more laid back this year. With the temperatures dropping below freezing, I just didn’t want to go very far beyond checking out a party that Chaturbate models Ivy Minxxx and Delilah Cass were hosting nearby. I ended up being the Behind The Scenes videographer for April O’Neil as she greeted random dogs during the weekend. I also got to see Alex Coal and Lilly Bell eat several times if you’re into that.
We get a short break with the holidays before reconvening for AVN and XBIZ in January.
Exxxotica makes its first appearance near the nation’s capital. The convention isn’t actually in the District of Columbia, but calling it Exxxotica Dulles or Exxxotica NoVa does not have quite the same marketing ring. Given the new area, I wasn’t sure if this show would be the smallest one after the pandemic, but it turned out not to be. In fact, it was very busy. With less exhibitors and more attendees than the show in Miami, there was a steady crowd every day drawing from the DMV population.
Mary Moody
19Honeysuckle & Tom Christian
Evangeline Darling
Having met and photographed many of the same exhibitors the past three post-pandemic Exxxoticas, I interacted more with the popular webcam performers this time around; especially Chaturbate. Even though the booth is sequestered behind individual plexiglass displays due to health concerns, the Chaturbate models were accessible going outside the booth and checking out rest of the convention. They were also accessible hanging out around the host hotel and after-parties. I met up with Mary Moody for the first time in nearly 2 years, and she asked if I was vaccinated before hugging me which made me realise that I wasn’t wearing the COVID yellow wristbands that I had worn in the previous Exxxotica. I hung out with AVN Favourite Webcam Couple, 19Honeysuckle and Tom Christian, at and after the parties and made pretty photos of Evangeline Darling during off hours.
Lilly Bell
Alex Coal
Vicki Chase
Since this seemed to be the first Exxxotica in December, I saw plenty of people wearing holiday-themed apparel like Lilly Bell and Fiona Frost. The lines to see the performers at the Bad Dragon booth were evenly distributed. Vicki Chase hosted one of the official Exxxotica after-parties while Alex Coal vacillated between being a go-go dancer and bouncer, wielding a baseball bat.
This had been a successful Exxxotica season for 2021. I didn’t know what to expect after a year of cancellations due to the pandemic. Here’s to an even better one for 2022.
The second adult convention since the pandemic started, this year was the busiest Miami show I’ve attended. Not the crowded madhouse that Chicago was, but a steady stream of attendees kept the performers busy especially in the evening hours. There were very little mask-wearing attendees or wristbands denoting their vaccination status. Kenzie Reeves was the only performer I saw who consistently wore a mask.
Hime Marie
Jade Baker
19Honeysuckle & Tom Christian
The front of convention hall were dominated space-wise by the webcam companies, Chaturbate and MyFreeCams. I saw 3X AVN Favorite Cam Couple, 19Honeysuckle and Tom Christian, and popular performers like Hime Marie and Jade Baker webcamming. I even saw Sabina Rouge several times webcamming without recognising her. Being that this was Miami, there were a lot of beauties walking around, and I didn’t approach many of them because my reluctance to photograph non-industry people out of respect for their privacy. I missed out on meeting a lot of east coast talent as a result.
Violet Myers
Taylor Blake
Alex Coal
Even though there were many attendees, I couldn’t pinpoint which performer had the busiest lines between Kenzie Reeves and Violet Myers. I think the crowd love was just spread out, and I think they were most likely to be enjoying the stage shows. I was pleased to see my friends, Taylor Blake and Alex Coal, again and having a grand time. Taylor was bouncing around from booth to booth while Alex was doing the chicken dance in an appropriate onesie. Onward to New Jersey, the home of IAFD and the next Exxxotica.
