An orgy is a type of group sex in which several people engage in consensual sex with one another. Participants typically engage in sexual activity in the same room, rather than splitting off into smaller groups. As the group stays together, there is usually some level of contact between most of the people involved, with partners swapped throughout the experience.
The term orgy comes from the ancient Greek "orgia," which referred to an ecstatic form of cult worship. Because these cult rituals were secret and held at night, they may have involved sex, as a modern orgy does.
Types of Orgies
The different types of orgies include:
- Heterosexual orgy: Cisgender women and men have sexual interactions with someone of a different gender identity (ie, women with men and men with women.)
- Bisexual orgy: Participants enjoy sexual interactions with people of any gender.
- Lesbian orgy: Participants identify as lesbian and enjoy sexual interactions with other lesbians.
- Gang bang: Participants direct their sexual attention towards one focal person.
- Bukkake orgy: Participants ejaculate over one focal person.
- Soft swing orgy: Participants enjoy non-penetrative sexual activity, including sexual touching and oral sex. In some cases, soft swing orgies may include penetrative sex with established partners.
- Dogging orgy: Participants enjoy sexual interactions with others outdoors.
Orgy Sex Positions
Just as there are many types of orgy, there are also many different positions participants may enjoy. Along with common sex positions, like missionary and reverse cowgirl, participants may also try positions made for group sex:
- Daisy chain or pinwheel: Participants gather in a circle, where each person gives oral pleasure to the person in front of them and receives pleasure from the person behind them.
- Double Cowgirl: A participant with a penis or strap-on lies on their back to penetrate someone straddling their hips while giving oral pleasure to someone straddling their face.
- Triple Missionary: A participant lies on their back to receive penetrative sex and give oral sex to someone squatting over their face. Another participant may then penetrate the person receiving oral sex from behind.
- Doubling Threesome or Double Dinner: A participant lays on their back to give oral sex to someone straddling their face and receives oral sex from someone positioned between their legs.
How common is group sex?
A 2016 study from TimeOut New York found that 31% of respondents surveyed had had group sex. A third of people who’d had group sex had engaged in a foursome or "moresome." A 2015 survey suggests that the American average is much lower, with 6% of women and 12% of men stating they’d had group sex before. Less than 3% of both genders had done so in the past year, suggesting group sex may not be a common occurrence.
That doesn’t mean people aren’t thinking about it, though. In his 2018 book “Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life,” social psychologist Justin Lehmiller reported that 74% of people fantasized about orgies. He also noted that group sex, including threesomes, was the most common fantasy among those surveyed. More than a third of respondents said it was their favorite sexual fantasy.
How many people does it take to make an orgy?
Some people believe that an orgy must have five or more participants, claiming group sex with three people is a threesome and group sex with four people is a foursome. However, others insist that four people is enough for an orgy. While there is no upper limit to the number of participants in an orgy, most people agree that quality is much more important than quantity.
Orgies in Pornography
Because participating in an orgy is a common sexual fantasy, it is often depicted in pornography. Orgy porn can depict a wide range of orgy fantasies, such as college students at wild fraternity parties and middle-aged fetishists who throw events to indulge their kinks. Viewing orgy porn can be a good way for people interested in orgies to satisfy their fantasies. People may simply enjoy viewing orgy porn or use it to supplement participating in orgies.
