The Brides of March is an annual event that takes place in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California and other cities around March 15. Started by the

Cacophony Society The Cacophony Society is "a randomly gathered network of free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society." It was started in 1986 by surviving members of the now defunct Suicide Club of San Francisco. C ...

, the event's name is a pun on the term

Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...

, and is a parody of weddings in western culture. The event, which began in 1999, is part

pub crawl A pub crawl (sometimes called a bar tour, bar crawl or bar-hopping) is the act of visiting multiple pubs or bars in a single session. Background Many European cities have public pub crawls that serve as social gatherings for local expatriates an ...

and part street theater, while wearing a thrift store

wedding dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...

. Brides may be of any gender, but the wearing of traditional white wedding dresses, or something resembling them, is the point of the event. In recent years there have been a greater number of gothic brides who wear black, alien brides and other variations on the theme. Like its Cacophony Society counterpart " Santarchy", the tradition has spread worldwide and now includes gatherings in Austin, Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Reno, Phoenix (started in 2008),{{cite web , url = https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/be-a-bride-in-this-weekends-brides-of-march-6582951 , title = Be a Bride in This Weekend's Brides of March , first = Christen , last = Bejar , website =

Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue ...

, access-date = 2018-10-13 Portland, Seattle,Vegas, London, and Japan, among others.

References

External links

Austin Brides of March

London Brides of March

Seattle Brides of March

Brides of March official web site

The San Francisco Cacophony Society home page
Pub crawls Culture of San Francisco Cacophony Society 1999 establishments in California