La Jolla’s Most ‘Infamous’ House Party Fails the Test of Time – Voice of San Diego

La Jolla’s Most ‘Infamous’ House Party Fails the Test of Time  Voice of San Diego

In its 27th year, The La Jolla Summer White Party subs out strippers for spaghetti as old friends work to keep the magic alive. Nothing could prepare me for the dread I would feel walking into a La Jolla realtor’s backyard a few weekends ago. Thirty-some folding chairs faced a makeshift stage, where a local band slammed through rock covers to a sparse crowd. In the corner, an unplugged slow cooker of pulled pork sat lukewarm on an otherwise-empty table. We all wore white, as directed by Dan Courtney, host of the annual La Jolla Summer White Party. Although Labor Day was the previous Monday, Dan reassured us it was OK.

“We checked with ChatGPT and three other AI sources, and summer does not officially end this year until Sept. 21, so it’s still OK to wear white, technically,” he said. The La Jolla Summer White Party (XXVII) began in 1996 in Dan’s backyard, peaking at an annual attendance of 600 in its heyday. In a past life, this supposedly legendary affair hosted at “The Grounds of La Jolla” (three adjacent properties owned by Dan) attracted lucrative sponsorships, deep-pocketed attendees, thousands in charitable donations and the best in colorless fashion San Diego had to offer. But it was always, distinctly, a house party. Somewhere La Jolla’s well-to-do residents and those