In Boston, community has a way of bringing people together – whether it’s through music, nightlife, shared interests, or a place where everyone knows they belong. For the local furry community, that place is getting WYLD. WYLD.boston is a monthly furry dance party hosted at Jacques’ Cabaret, the historic Boston venue known for its connection to the city’s LGBTQ+ nightlife and performance community. More than just a night out, WYLD exists to foster community - to carry on the relationship between Boston’s furries, the broader Boston queer culture, and a venue that has been part of the city’s nightlife history for decades.
Building a Community Through Nightlife
At its heart, WYLD is about bringing people together. The monthly event gives Boston’s
furry community a dedicated space to socialize, dance, meet new people, and celebrate
a shared identity. Hosting the party at Jacques’ Cabaret adds another layer to that
experience, connecting a newer community gathering with a venue that has been open
since 1938 – and associated with Boston’s queer nightlife since the 1960s.
For Eric Schaeffer, general manager of Jacque’s and an organizer of WYLD, that
community connection is central to the event’s mission.
“WYLD is a furry nightlife and social party located in Boston, MA, hosted at Jacques
Cabaret,” Eric says.
The goal is straightforward: keep growing the community and get more people through
the doors – and that growth is already happening.
“We had over 100 ticket sales last month; there is definitely an appetite for this sort of
event,” Eric says.
For a monthly community event, that number represents more than ticket sales. It
means more people discovering WYLD, more connections being made, and more
members of Boston’s furry community finding a place to come together.
A Boston Tradition Meets a New Generation
Part of what makes WYLD distinctive is its home. Jacques’ Cabaret has a long history
as a Boston LGBTQ+ nightlife institution. Bringing a furry dance party into that space
creates a natural connection between two communities with their own rich histories,
while giving both an opportunity to come together.
For WYLD, that relationship is something worth preserving — creating a space where
those communities can overlap, celebrate, and have a good time together.
It's also a reminder that communities aren't static. They grow, evolve, and create new
traditions while building on the spaces and relationships that came before them. WYLD
is helping create one of those new traditions, one dance party at a time.
Growing WYLD
Like any community-driven event, WYLD has faced its share of challenges. Eric
identifies awareness of both the event and the venue as two of the biggest obstacles
WYLD has encountered. Building awareness takes time, particularly for a recurring
event that depends on people discovering it, attending for the first time, and eventually
becoming part of the community.
But WYLD's recent attendance milestone shows that word is spreading. The approach?
Keep showing up, keep working, and keep thinking bigger.
Eric's advice for anyone building something of their own is simple: “Dream big, work
hard, and face adversity with confidence.”
It's advice that fits WYLD particularly well. Building a successful nightlife community
requires more than putting on a party. It requires creating an experience people want to
return to, building relationships, and continuing to push forward when things don't go
according to plan.
Why WYLD.boston?
For an event so closely tied to its city, the choice of domain name was an easy one.
As to why WYLD chose .boston, the answer is short and sweet: “Boston is our home!”
The .boston domain makes the connection immediately clear. Before someone ever
walks through the doors at Jacques’ Cabaret, the web address tells them where WYLD
belongs: Boston. For a community event built around local people, a local venue, and
the culture of a specific city, that sense of place matters.
WYLD isn't just a furry dance party that happens to take place in Boston. Boston is part
of its identity. And with WYLD.boston, that identity is right there in the name.
So whether you're already part of Boston's furry community or you're simply looking for
a new place to meet people, hear great music, and get a little WYLD, there's a place for
you on the dance floor.