Could a porn convention during Covid still be fun?
This past weekend, I attended the Exxxotica show that was held in Edison, New Jersey. The convention ran from Friday (10/22) to Sunday (10/24) and was hosted at the New Jersey Convention Center. I, along with a few friends, arrived early Saturday afternoon and got a hotel so that we could attend the convention for most of the day on Saturday and then also hit up the official Saturday night after party.
While I’ve been to a few Exxxotica shows over the years (this was my third time attending the one in NJ), I wasn’t sure about what I should expect. After all, Covid is still a thing, people are traveling less and porn companies are widely working with reduced marketing budgets. My friends had even less of an idea of what they were in for as this was their first time attending any Exxxotica event.
So how did it go? Simply put, the 2021 Exxxotica New Jersey show was an absolute blast.
Exxxotica New Jersey 2021 | An impressive lineup of XXX talent…
The number one reason to attend an event like Exxxotica is for the opportunity to meet some of the Porn industry’s biggest stars. This is especially true if (like me) you live on the East Coast. While folks out West get the AVN and XBIZ shows and have the opportunity to run into XXX talent every day in cities like Los Angeles and Vegas, people in the New York City area of the country really don’t get that.
This is why Exxxotica is such a big deal for East Coast porn fans. And this year, despite all of the bullshit that we’ve all been having to deal with over the past eighteen plus months, a whole bunch of big-name hardcore talent turned out for the show. After securing our passes and making our first pass through the show floor, we got to see stars like Joanna Angel, Alex Coal, Kenzie Reeves, Stormy Daniels, Lauren Phillips, Kimmie Kaboom, Kenzie Taylor and Brooklyn Chase.
So as we’re walking around taking all that in, we see Evan Stone walking down the aisle towards us on his way to wherever. My friend, recognizing him and a fan of his work, gives a quick wave. Evan flashed a big smile, reached out and shook my friend’s hand and thanked him for coming out as he walked past. This was after my friend had his picture taken and chatted with Vina Sky and Lauren Phillips.
We got to see and experience all of that within the first thirty minutes of arriving.
Other performers who were there included the likes of Edyn Blair, Jessie Lee, BJ McNaughty (the stripper clown!), Britney Amber, Keisha Grey, Bailey Brooke, September Reign, Ember Snow and Misty Stone. That’s only a small sampling of the XXX performers who were on hand. Again…Exxxotica is the only time us East Coast people get to see that many pornstars in one place without traveling West.
Exxxotica New Jersey 2021 | But wait, there’s more…
There’s a whole lot more to Exxxotica than just being able to walk around and meet pornstars. I mean, yeah, that’s a big part of it and the number one reason why a whole bunch of people attend. However, there’s so much more to see and do. After spending a fair bit of time walking through and hanging out with some pornstars, we moved on to some of the other attractions.
Making our way to the Main Stage, my friends and I secured a prime spot just a few feet from the stage by getting there about fifteen minutes before Nola Bunny’s strip show. When she finally made her way onstage, it was worth the wait. Dressed in like a 1940’s style sundress thing, Nola’s routine involved slowly taking her clothes off and hanging them on a clothes line while dancing to some old time music.
After she finished and before the first round of the Pole Dancing Championships, the Exxxotica MC came up on stage and tossed a bunch of swag into the audience.
And then the pole dancing started. Again…this was a treat. While all of the ladies who participated had some moves, there were a few who were absolutely incredible. They could seemingly float their way to the top of the pole, swing themselves around the pole like ninjas and without using their hands and move in ways that seemed impossible.
After that wrapped up, the MC again made his way to the stage and then pulled some volunteers from the audience for an orgasm screaming contest. Eight women participated with the winner walking away with a vibrator as a first prize. My people, if there was a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in New Jersey then I’m not aware of it.
Exxxotica New Jersey 2021 | The Afterparty…
Capping off the evening was the official Exxxotica afterparty. Held just down the road from the Convention Center at the Sheraton Edison hotel, the party was free to all VIP pass holders. The doors to the party opened around 10:30pm, with a cover band taking the stage shortly after. There were a few bar areas set up in the ballroom where the band was playing and just outside in a large roped off section.
Joanna Angel and Jessie Lee were both listed as the “hosts” of the party but, at least for the hour or so that my friends and I were there, we didn’t see either of them. And while the band was okay and it was a good time, the fact that the bars only accepted cash and were charging $9 for a bottle of Corona and $15 for a regular-sized rum and Coke made us decide that we weren’t going to spend a whole lot of time there.
We made our way outside, through a cloud of weed smoke and waited for our Uber to take us back to our hotel. For us, our Exxxotica adventure had come to a close and we’d be making our way back home the next morning.
The bottom line…
All in all, Exxxotica New Jersey 2021 was a fantastic time. They filled the Convention Center with a huge selection of XXX stars, webcam models and adult entertainers. Having the ability to meet and mingle with so many of them, in addition to all of the other attractions, was worth the price of admission alone.
Yes, the afterparty wasn’t all that exciting but it was still a decent time. The next morning as we drove home, I asked my friends what they thought of their first Exxxotica experience and the first thing they both said was, “We need to do this again next year.” It was about a two hour ride home and we had enough memories from our one day at the show to talk about for the entire time.
If you plan on going to Exxxotica New Jersey 2022, I’ll probably see you there.
