EuroPerve VI: Rubber Rituals, to use its full title, is the sixth outing for the resurrected DeMask party, now co-hosted by DeMask’s owners Anton and Louva with René of Wasteland.

This year’s party has moved forward a full month to Saturday September 9. At the same time, it has quit its WesterUnie venue and relocated to Q-Factory, a live music/dance venue and rehearsal space in the north of the city.

The owners of Q-Factory have just opened a hotel adjacent to the venue, and it is offering a promotional rate there for the three nights of the party weekend: Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 8, 9 and 10.

This could well make the event even more attractive to the international kinksters who have been attending in increasing numbers with each successive EuroPerve.

Happily also (unlike last year), this year’s date doesn’t clash with London’s Rubber Cult — which attracts a similar kind of dresscode-committed fetish crowd.

So there is a hope that more Cult regulars will make it to September’s Rubber Rituals, combining a weekend in Amsterdam (never a bad idea) with the chance to check out how their continental cousins cater for a proper fetish audience.

The basic format of these revived EuroPerve parties is now well established. As with Rubber Cult, the socialising aspect — the chance to be surrounded by, and to connect with, like-minded pervs — is a high priority.

But the bigger production values of the Dutch event also mean you can expect a proper stage and catwalk, decent stage lighting and a professional sound system.

And while not aiming to be a dance party, EuroPerve’s offering does include professional DJ-ing that provides more than just ambient background music.

‘Playful’ would be a good overall description of the atmosphere at a EuroPerve event. For many this just means friendly social banter with properly clad people.

But for some, it’s about acting out sub/dom roles with your partner, or having a go on some of the equipment usually found at the back of the auditorium.

Traditionally, the onstage entertainment includes a single fashion show — presented by DeMask and showcasing each year’s new clothing collection — plus up to four additional stage acts.

But Louva tells us she plans to depart from tradition for this year’s fashion show. “I’ve decided to show our very best heavy rubber collection,” she says. “but I do not want the usual catwalk, and that is the surprise.

“I believe what I want to do has never been done, in our industry at least.”

Previous EuroPerve fashion shows have always featured well-known Dutch fetish models such as Ellen Lovebite, Dutch Dame and Miss Mirjana.

Mirjana, for example, was the star of last year’s fashion show coup de théàtre, wearing a fabulous silver torpedo-titted and corseted gown with inflatable pink headdress and long pink train (see top of page).

Louva’s past fashion shows have also featured various ‘guest models’ who, owing to her persuasiveness, may well be fetish scene ‘names’ not normally accustomed to being on a catwalk.

Last year, for example, when EuroPerve celebrated DeMask’s 30^th anniversary (albeit, as it turned out, a year late!), guest models included Marquis founder Peter Czernich and veteran promoter Roberto of Clinic parties and Absolute Suite fame.

The finale of that show saw DeMask founder Steve English coming onstage hand in hand with one of his original Amsterdam associates, Vivid Angel, who also performed later in her own right.

All I will say about her act is that if she ever invites me round for tea, I think I’ll take my own teapot with me, just to be on the safe side.