The dancefloor is packed with people dancing as confetti floats down on them. Credit: Grace Del Vecchio / Rebellious Magazine
Organizers and attendees of Yollocalli Arts Reach’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Party talk the return of this iconic (and vital) event.

On Feb. 10,  young people in their teens and early twenties filled some of the main gallery spaces of the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. What drew the crowd of nearly 275 attendees was the return of the Yollocalli Arts Reach Anti-Valentine’s Day Party. 

The annual event, intentionally held during or around National Condom Week, first took place in 2013 until a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19. It connects young people with free and reliable resources for mental and sexual health, healthy relationships, and LGBTQ+ care while also creating a space for them to gather and have fun with friends.

Resources ranged from stickers and bags to Narcan, Plan B and – as the flyer suggested – condoms, along with lots of food, dancing, arts, and polaroid photos.

In the latest podcast from Rebellious, organizers and attendees shared how they felt about the return of this iconic (and vital) event.