A stop light party, stoplight party, traffic light party or traffic party is a

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

at which guests wear different

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

s indicating their relationship-seeking status. While they may be held anytime, anywhere; they are commonly held around

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

and in areas around colleges and universities.

Concept

The basic idea of the party is that each guest wears clothing, or a

glow stick A glow stick, also known as a light stick, chem light, light wand, light rod, and rave light, is a self-contained, short-term light-source. It consists of a translucent plastic tube containing isolated substances that, when combined, make light ...

, in a color that best suits their status. The color green means that one is

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

and looking for a relationship. Red means that one is in a relationship, or not looking for one. Yellow may mean "unsure" or "maybe," or could mean that one is in a relationship but still open to advances. The purpose of a stop light party is to decrease the apprehension associated with approaching potential partners at parties. It also serves the purpose of providing an easy indicator of one's unavailability, to fend off unwelcome advances. The color codes derive from the

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

signal colors indicating red for stop, yellow for caution/slow down, and green for go.

History

The earliest documented examples of a Stop Light or Traffic Light Party held in the public setting can be traced back to the late 1990s and the

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

of Albany in upstate New York, where a promoter named Bill Kennedy was throwing them in nightlife venues across the city. The party would gain in popularity after a large nightclub named Sneaky Pete's opened in the winter of 2000. Kennedy would give out glow necklaces and had a large decommissioned traffic light lit up at every party. After years of creating a local buzz, the party received national attention in 2005 after the Albany ''Times Union'' ran a feature story about it. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP) picked up on the story, and it ran nationally on the front page of papers across America. Internet dating site

Match.com Match.com is an online dating service with headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. The company has offices in Dallas, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing. Match.com is owned by Match Group, which owns several online d ...

ran a feature story and after that and the concept went

viral The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). It may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...

. It has been thrown in venues across the world since, receiving extensive media coverage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stop Light Party Parties Consent Dating Sexual ethics

Concept

History

See also

References