Crys Farrar, 27, saw a void in the local community. Nightlife establishments for the LGBT community abound in Charlotte, but most, she says, cater primarily to gay men. The city has Hartigan’s and L4 Lounge, two bars with huge female clientele, but other events and activities, especially for women and minorities, often go unnoticed.
So, Farrar started Social Noize, a new business that seeks to highlight party promoters who throw events for the LGBT community.
“There was a need, especially in the African-American LGBT community, to get out information about parties and events going on,” says Farrar. “A lot of people from out of town don’t know the different events available.”
Social Noize exists, she says, to broaden the advertising and marketing reach of existing promoters like SugaWalls Entertainment, which qnotes profiled in our cover feature on African-American LGBT nightlife in our Jan. 17-30 print edition.
“Social Noize is here to give people visiting or just in town and not sure what’s going on an idea where they can go to have fun throughout the week.”
Business has been successful so far, says Farrar. She’s worked with several local promoters and has gotten contacted by promoters in California and Atlanta.
Her rising profile will be beneficial as Charlotte prepares to hosts this year’s CIAA basketball tournament in late February. Fans from across the country will descend on the Queen City and LGBT tournament-goers will be looking for fun social events to keep them busy after the basketball games end each night.
“You probably have six well-known promoters just in the lesbian community here, and they are all having parties,” Farrar says.
She wants to get the word out as much as possible. The parties are a chance, she says, to meet people from around the region and country — each with a common love of the CIAA.
“Whether you’re black, Hispanic, white or what-have-you, there’s normally a diversity of attendance at the parties that are held,” Farrar says. : :