6th Annual New York Burlesque Festival

Fall generally means “back to school,” but for burlesque performers from around the world, it means back to New York for the Sixth Annual New York Burlesque Festival. This weekend, the city plays host to hundreds of performers willing to show a little skin, and thousands of spectators wanting to look at it.

Festivities begin tonight at the teaser party, hosted by World Famous *BOB*, where you can mix and mingle with the ladies and gents of the show This Is Burlesque, among others. Tomorrow, the fun heads to the new Gowanus venue the Bell House, for a Prohibition-era party hosted by Scotty the Blue Bunny.

The lineup is action-packed on Saturday at Le Poisson Rouge, where more than 30 bombshells strut their stuff, along with host Murray Hill. But Sunday should be the best day of all, when all that bumping and grinding culminates in the Golden Pastie Awards at S.O.B.’s. The all-inclusive categories range from “Sweetest Smile” to “Biggest Media Whore” to “Most Likely to Go Gay in 2009.”