It's hard to believe that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are "ruining it for everyone," as some detractors have claimed. Over 33 years, they've raised untold amounts of money for charitable causes, crusaded against bigotry and hatred, and for a few years they even brought order and focus to Halloween in the Castro. All this while holding a prominent spot on the pope's official list of heretics. The Sisters again invite the community to converge this Sunday on the birthplace of their order, Dolores Park, for their annual birthday party and Easter celebration.
The theme this year is "Pumps & Circumstance." The day begins family-friendly with the Kiddies' Easter Egg Hunt, followed by games and face-painting. (The Sisters will have plenty of experts on hand, so your kid won't show up to grandma's looking like runoff from Kiss' Dressed to Kill tour.)
Later, masters of ceremony Ginger Snap, Holly DeVille, and Mutha Chucka nudge the live entertainment, which includes the Easter Bonnet Contest, Red Hots Burlesque, Thrillpeddlers, and the Ethel Merman Experience.
The day's main event -- if that's even possible in a lineup like this -- is the Hunky Jesus Contest, hosted by Sisters Roma and Dana. Only the martyred son of a deity could pull off sexy in a scene like this. And secularize Easter? Only in "the city that knows how."
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's Easter in the Park starts at 11 a.m. in Dolores Park (Dolores between 18th and 20th Sts.), S.F. Admission is free.
