Foam party
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A foam party is a social event in which participants are lathered up with soap suds, usually dispensed from a special machine or soap cannon. Foam parties often take place at night clubs, where music, dance, and social drinking occur.
Typically bathing suits or beach attire is worn to such an event, but it is often possible to go there fully clothed. However, many people peel down once they get into the spirit of the party because the soap eventually soaks clothes, making them very uncomfortable (soapy clothes feel worse than merely wet clothes). Foam parties have been known to inspire nudity among some participants or minor sexual exploration such as groping other participants under the cover of the foam.
In some cases, however, the opposite applies and people will attend in the clothes they would wear to any other parties, to add to the fun of the occasion. In this case there will often be a pool in which people will bathe in to get the soap out of the clothes.
The height of applied foam can vary between 10 centimeters and 2 meters. In latter cases it can be difficult for participants to maintain a sense of direction.
It is often possible to tell that a foam party is occurring, as participants may inadvertently carry foam outside with them, leaving traces outside the door.
Foam dispensers
For the distribution of the foam special equipment is required. This can be installed permanently at the club or rented from companies specializing in foam parties. The foam is often blown on the dance floor or blown through a finely meshed bag hanging from the ceiling. The distribution of foam often resembles a blizzard, or resembles a bubble bath overflowing. Recently foam cannons have also appeared that will shoot foam approximately 10 meters, at people in the crowd, or up in the air. Foam cannons have been used for a long time in firefighting and crowd control, but have recently been used for mass decontamination (with MDF200 decon foam) and for foam parties (with bubble bath foam).Regularly scheduled foam parties
Some establishments, such as Joe in Toronto and The Bourbon Pub in New Orleans, have weekly foam parties throughout the summer, and include such features as a hot tub to maintain the beach party atmosphere. Alternatively foam parties can be a one-off event, such as a party at the end of a school year, or the like.Problems
Foam parties can damage the floor of the discotheque. They should not be held in discotheques with wooden floors. Before starting a foam party it should be checked that there is no way for foam to get into electrical equipment. Otherwise, there is a danger of electrocution. Additionally, all electrical equipment in the area should be on a Balance Fault Interruptor (BFI) or similar device that disconnects electricity whenever there is a current to ground. Other security problems occur from slippage and the danger that steps in the discotheques or obstacles like bar seats and tables cannot be seen, especially at high foam level.Some people have an allergic skin or eye reaction to the foam. In the latter case, chemical conjunctivitis can result. Sore throats have commonly been reported, but it is not yet known if this is from the spreading of communicable disease (such as common cold) through the foam, if it is a direct effect of chemical ingestion of the foam, if the foam merely temporarily weakens the immune system through exposure, or if it is just simply a matter of people being cold and wet, and then going out into the cold with soapy bodies and hair. Some venues provide shower facilities to cleanse the foam from the body.
At any case it should be checked before a foam party if special licenses for the club are required. If the discotheque is hired, the owner of the building (and if available the user of rooms under the discotheque) for permission, in order to avoid legal problems.
External links
- [How to Throw Your Own Foam Party] (M.I.T. site providing technical do-it-yourself details)
- [The foam party site]
- [FoamZone! Foam parties in Western Australia]
- [Gunjee! The UK's Wet and Messiest parties]
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