An Unholy Harvest takes place in one main venue, Breathless Ottawa (318 Lisgar St. – see map), and one satellite venue, Pink Triangle Services (251 Bank St. suite 301 – see map), which are located a couple of short blocks apart from one another in central downtown Ottawa.

Where should I stay when I come to Ottawa?

The Best Western Victoria Park Suites (613-567-7275) is located less than a mile from the main venue, and offers indoor parking and two double beds per room. If you’re doing this on a budget, this is a great deal. There’s a kitchenette in each suite so you can eat in and store food in your room, and a deluxe continental breakfast is included in your price. Other amenities include a gym, saunas, in-room safes, and two rooms specially designed for maximum accessibility.

The Inn on Somerset (1-800-658-3564) is a 15-room B & B right around the corner from our main venue on Lisgar – it’s about a three-minute walk. These rooms will go fast, so make your reservation now if you want to stay there. The prices vary, but are very reasonable, and the hosts are super-welcoming to Harvest attendees.

The Jailhouse Hostel is a little further afield, but still walkable, and an awesome place to stay on a budget. It's steeped in history, and there's even a museum on the top floor. Book soon if you want to stay in this unique hostel.

The Albert at Bay Hotel is a somewhat longer walk away (or a very short drive) and offers absolutely enormous suites for very reasonable prices. Great if you’re looking to share with a few other people.

Room-sharing

Once your registration form and payment have been received, we’ll send you an e-mail inviting you to join the Yahoo! group set up exclusively for attendees. It’s a great place to look for roomshares and rideshares!

I’ve never been to an event like this and I’m terrified. What will happen to me when I show up?

One of our priorities at An Unholy Harvest is to make sure that we’re welcoming to novice players and people who are otherwise new to the leather scene. We cultivate a warm and friendly atmosphere and we actively work to encourage first-timers to screw up their nerve and attend. If that means you—well, consider yourself encouraged!

We welcome a wonderful diversity of participants, so nobody will expect you to look, act or play “just like everyone else.” There’s no dress code for the weekend so you don’t need a closetful of expensive leather gear to fit in (although if you like dressing up, rest assured you will not be the only one!). We run a “Fresh Meet” workshop first thing on Saturday morning with plenty of get-to-know-you games to help get you started, along with tips on how to meet and cruise people and just generally have a good time over the weekend. And there will be a number of workshops that are especially welcoming to new players, whether you’re looking to understand the mechanics of swinging a flogger or deepen your perspective on dominant/submissive dynamics. Last but not least, we’ve got a fabulous team of PICs (People In Charge) who are there to help you out if you’ve got questions or concerns; look for their faces on the PIC poster and feel free to say hello or ask for help anytime throughout the weekend.

What’s this year’s event theme?

This year, start channelling your best James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, shine your leathers, grease up your hair and put on your best poodleskirt to join us at An Unholy Harvest: Pulp Friction Edition!

On Friday night, as part of our opening event, the people wearing the best pulp-fiction inspired get-ups—greasers, bobbysoxers, vixens in cat’s-eye glasses—will win prizes, decided by applause. Whether you win or not, expect much cheerful lechery and heartfelt appreciation for your look and your creativity. Costumes are not obligatory, but they sure are fun!

I’d like to help out at the event by volunteering. How do I apply?

Our deadline for volunteer applications has passed, but if you’d like to be put on the waiting list in case anyone drops out, please send us a note at unholyharvest@yahoo.ca to indicate your interest. While you’re at it, tell us what sort of skills you bring to the table (physical strength, handy with a power drill, loves late-night clean-up, experienced with emceeing…), what limitations you have (uncomfortable handling money, afraid of heights, no heavy lifting…) and what your availability and time slot preferences are. Volunteers get a half-price discount on the registration price.

Je suis francophone. Est-ce que les activités du weekend me sont accessibles?

An Unholy Harvest (Une moisson impie) se déroule principalement en anglais. Cependant, la présence francophone à l’événement est importante et les organisatrices parlent couramment français. Cliquez ici pour lire une description en français de l’événement!

What are you doing to make Harvest more accessible for people with disabilities?

We continue to work to make Harvest as accessible as possible to people with a range of dis/abilities, within the limits of the kink-friendly spaces available in Ottawa. Please check out our Accessibility page for detailed information about our accessibility measures! We update it regularly as new initiatives are implemented. Feel free to e-mail us at unholyharvest@yahoo.ca if you have any questions or specific concerns you’d like us to address.

Our main space, Breathless, is not wheelchair-accessible; the entrance is up a wide flight of 25-30 stairs (exact number TBC) and the bathrooms are not sized to accommodate a wheelchair. However, once inside, the space is large and open and has no raised areas or steps.

Our usual satellite workshop spaces are located just around the corner from Breathless. Two-thirds of our daytime workshops on Saturday and Sunday are generally held in those satellite spaces (to be confirmed for 2010). The building that houses those spaces is fully wheelchair-accessible, with a short ramp into the front door, elevators in the lobby for access to the two spaces, and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms in each space.

We will be making a few copies of our program available in large print on site. Please let us know when you register if you will need one!

Our dungeon rules will be printed up in a large-print poster-size format and posted in a visible area in the dungeon.

We believe the lighting at Breathless is sufficient for good visibility, but we’ll make the necessary adjustments as needed.

We’re aiming to hire kink-friendly ASL interpreters for the weekend. If you would like to attend An Unholy Harvest and you need ASL interpretation, please drop us a line at unholyharvest@yahoo.ca to let us know, and we’ll make sure to keep you updated as we go.

We encourage our presenters to provide large-type written handouts for their workshops, as well as to take additional measures to ensure that their presentations are as accessible as possible for people who are Deaf and hard of hearing.

We’ll be updating this section on an ongoing basis as we come up with new plans, so check back often or write us a note at unholyharvest@yahoo.ca if you have any specific questions or concerns!

I’m sensitive to fragrances and chemicals. Is An Unholy Harvest a safe space for me?

While we want to be as scent-free as possible, within the context of a leather event (with the smell of leather among other things) a fully scent-free environment is impossible to create without compromising the nature of the event itself. Recognizing that we cannot make this a scent-free event then, we do aim to reduce the scents in the air by asking attendees to be “scent-aware.” We encourage attendees to be aware of how using certain products (perfumes, oils, hair products, etc.) can diminish someone else’s ability to enjoy the workshops and play parties that they attend. As such, we ask that you be as close to scent-free as is possible for you.

Visit our Accessibility page for a list of scents you may encounter at Harvest and for more detailed information about how to be scent-aware!

I’d love to give a workshop or lead a discussion at An Unholy Harvest. How do I send in a proposal?

Our proposal deadline for Harvest 2010 has passed, and we were pleasantly overwhelmed when we received 27 proposals for 18 slots! Our final workshop schedule will be up soon. Please feel free to drop us a line at unholyharvest@yahoo.ca if you have an exciting idea for Harvest 2011. We’re very supportive of first-time presenters… don’t be shy to inquire.

I’d really like to attend some of the weekend’s events, but not all of them. Can I pay a partial registration fee just for the parties or just for the workshops?

An Unholy Harvest is intended to be a full-weekend experience. With that in mind, we don’t sell partial packages. Of course you’re welcome to register and then show up to only the events that most interest you, but we really encourage you to immerse yourself in the leatherdykery!

I’m on a limited income and I can’t afford your registration fee. Is there anything you can do for me?

In an effort to make sure that An Unholy Harvest is accessible to people from a range of economic circumstances, we established a scholarship program in 2008. Up to five individuals will be awarded a scholarship, which covers the full registration cost for An Unholy Harvest. Applications are confidential and accepted on an ongoing basis until all scholarships have been awarded. For more information, check out our Registration page.

UPDATE: All five scholarships have now been awarded for An Unholy Harvest 2010.

Why do I have to register via snail mail and go to the trouble of getting a certified cheque? That costs me money! Can’t I pay you by Interac transfer / PayPal / Visa / by meeting up with one of the organizers since we live in the same city / in person when I show up that weekend?

Okay, we know we’re a bit behind the times on this one. We’ve got plans for a fully integrated online registration system starting in 2011, but we weren’t able to get it up and running in time for this year’s event. In the meantime, though… yes, you really do need to pay us by certified cheque and you really do need to send it in the mail. Why?

Well, we learned the hard way that non-certified cheques are a bad plan; we have had trouble in the past with NSF cheques. When a cheque bounces, it costs you money, and it costs us money, energy and time. Certified cheques are a great way around this. Yes, they mean you have to visit a bank, and they cost you a small fee. But any form of online registration will also entail a processing fee. Expect that next year, when we have our online registration system up and running, registration costs will go up a few dollars in order to cover that processing fee. Simply put, we really can’t afford to swallow the transaction costs for each of you. We absolutely promise we’re worth a trip to the bank this year.

Also, while cash is convenient and involves no fees, unfortunately, it is just not feasible for us to make appointments to meet up with 90+ people in three or more cities to take in-person payment. (And we don’t want to play favourites by letting people we know well do it but not others. That’s just not nice.) We’d rather spend that large chunk of time working to make Harvest an awesome event.

Last but not least, we do accept in-person registrations at the door… if there are any spots left. But we strongly discourage you from doing this as we expect to sell out well before the event date, and that means we’d have to turn you away. And that would suck! So don’t take the chance.

I registered, but my family is insisting that I join them for turkey dinner so I have to cancel. What’s your cancellation policy?

If you cancel your registration prior to September 30, you are entitled to a 75% refund; we will retain 25% of your fee. Registration fees are not refundable after September 30.

I’m not registered, but a whole bunch of my friends are coming up for the weekend. Can I just attend a play party or film screening with them?

Unfortunately, we cannot admit non-attendees to any events, both for safety and legal reasons. If you’re not a registered participant, you will be turned away at the door (even if you’re super hot and even if we like you!). We encourage you to register for the weekend and enjoy as much of it as you can!

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