by South Florida Gay News

After a highly successful event in 2009, the City of Miami Beach is gearing up for another historic Gay Pride Parade Festival and Expo set for Saturday, April 17 on Ocean Drive.

With award-winning actress Sharon Gless and army activist/Iraq veteran Lt. Dan Choi serving as Grand Marshals, crowds are expected to exceed 25,000; an amazing accomplishment according to Pride organizers for an event in its second year. View a Schedule of Events.

Pride Parade Highlights

The Pride Parade begins at noon at 5th Street on Ocean Drive, with a diverse range of festive floats and more than 1,000 people participating in the parade.  One of the most popular highlights of the parade is the Legacy Couples – 28 LGBT couples who have been in committed relationships for 20 years or more; George Volpe and Peter Santangelo have been together the longest, for 66 years.

Another highlight of the Parade is the Key West Rainbow Flag, a 100-foot piece of the flag created by the Key West GLBT Community Center.  Originally 8,000 feet long (1.25 miles), the flag contained 25 miles of seams before being broken up and donated to several LGBT organizations across the nation.  It was created at the request the late Harvey Milk and was designed by Gilbert Baker, designer of Milk’s eight-color flag 32 years ago. The Key West flag includes more than 18,000 yards of nylon fabric, 25 miles of seams and weighs more than three tons.

Many of the parade entrants will ride in classic cars, with Sharon Gless and Dan Choi leading in a vintage Rolls Royce.  South Beach performer Elaine Lancaster will ride in a classic Lindberg as part of the “Miami Beach 25/7” contingent, the same car that Madonna drove in the film Dick Tracy.

Pride Festival and Expo – Lummus Park, between 10th and 14th Streets

Immediately following the parade, the Expo will feature 150 booths, food kiosks, exhibits and a family-friendly play zone, creating a massive Gay Pride exhibition area for businesses, community organizations and entertainers to showcase their pride and support of LGBT equality.

Two entertainment stages will showcase local, national and international recording artists and music sets by international DJs (see schedule for details).

Pride Cruise

From Ocean Drive to the ocean, Miami Beach Gay Pride continues with the first-ever “Pride Celebration at Sea,” Monday, April 19 through Friday, April 23, a four-night/five-day voyage aboard the Norwegian Sky with stops in Grand Bahama, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay.  The cruise is produced by Source Events, with a portion of tickets sold to be donated to Miami Beach Gay Pride.

An Eco-Friendly Pride Event, featuring The Green Team

ECOMB, the Environmental Coalition of Miami & the Beaches, in partnership with several local businesses, has developed a series of strategies to “Green” Miami Beach Gay Pride, including:

• A comprehensive Recycling program along Ocean Drive and Expo Area. Recycling bins courtesy by Waste Management
• Energy needs to be produced by Biodiesel Generators, provided by Sidram Power
• Transportation and recycling support by EZGO Street Legal Electric LSV Cars, courtesy of Advantage Golf Cars
• Green Team volunteers will ensure that the site remains clean and free of debris and/or recyclables. T-shirts made of organic cotton provided by Boucher Brothers Management.
• Organic food and smoothies to be provided by Pasha
• Serving utensils, napkins and drink cups made of recycled and recyclable plastic

Our Mission
Miami Beach Gay Pride brings together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, their friends, allies, and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of the LGBT community by producing free, safe, quality mass-appeal events that are open to all, such as the Parade, Festival and adjunct Miami Beach Pride sanctioned events.

Sponsors
Bar 721, Belvedere Vodka, BioScrip, City of Miami Beach, ECOMB, Felix Becerra, GLBT Community Projects Fund, HotFlyers, Icandee Events, Kersten Communications, Max Losk, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, Miami-Dade County, Mova, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Palace, TD Bank, Dade Community Foundation, Source Events, The Treister Murry Agency, Twist, Unity Coalition, Wachovia and Wolfe

Media Sponsors
Ambiente, Atlantic Broadband, Edge, Florida Agenda, HotSpots, Latino Boys Magazine, Mark’s List, Natural Awakenings, Passport Magazine, Plum TV, South Florida Gay News, Wire,  93.9 and Y-100.

For further information, please go to www.MiamiBeachGayPride.com.

As Gay Fort Lauderdale has developed over the past 15 years into one of the world’s premier gay resort destinations, so to has its annual Stonewall Pride Festival grown and grown. It should be noted that Gay Fort Lauderdale celebrates its main Gay Pride South Florida Festival, Pride Under the Sun earlier in the year (it will take place over the weekend of March 21 and 22 in 2009), and this is also a terrific event, drawing crowds from all over South Florida. The Stonewall Pride Island celebration occurs in late June (June 20-21, in 2009), to honor what many consider to be one of the foremost events in the history of lesbian and gay rights, the Stonewall Riots, which commenced early in the morning on June 28, 1969. It was begun in 2000 and has blossomed into a first-rate, festive celebration in recent years.

Many major cities around the world now host their Gay Pride Celebrations around this time, among them Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Toronto.

Fort Lauderdale’s Stonewall Pride Festival takes place in the city’s gay-popular Wilton Manors community and consists of several events. The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, and consists of a street fair with some 150 vendors and GLBT organizations, a parade (on Sunday) that leaves from Fort Lauderdale High School and continues down Wilton Drive to Five Points, and a variety of music and comedy performances held throughout the weekend.

Of course, additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout the week in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. Check local gay papers, such as Express Gay News and Hot Spots Magazine, for details.

The Cabanas Guesthouse and Spa, in the  heart of  Gay Wilton Manors, is a convenient location and a great place to stay when attending pridefest.

For more information on the Stonewall Festival visit their website.

Fort Lauderdale – The 32nd anniversary of Pridefest is scheduled for Saturday, and Sunday March 21 & 22, 2009 at the very popular Holiday Park/War Memorial Auditorium. Pridefest is a celebration and tribute to the LGBT community and its unique culture. The weekend-long event includes a special tent and dance floor for your dancing pleasure! with local DJ Miik (Sunday) and DJ  J. Roxx (Saturday),  Also featured are over 300 vendors, music, food, Games and Florida’s largest Aids Quilt display.

As usual, there will be non-stop entertainment both days, with an outdoor stage highlighted by national recording artist Lori Michaels & The Girls, Shelina, Howard Tonkin, Nelson Polanco and many more surprises! Official Pridefest events will be held at several of the nightclubs and venues in town starting on Friday, March 20 at Living Room Niteclub for the Official Pridefest Opening Party and Saturday March 22 at Sidelines Sports Bar and continuing through Sunday night.

The hours are Noon – 7 p.m. both days, giving our local gay clubs the opportunity to continue celebrating Pride well into the night.

Pride South Florida is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by unpaid volunteers. We aim to produce a highly professional Pride Festival that is not only economically valuable to our community to promote itself as the #1 Gay and Lesbian destination in the U.S.A., but also benefiting South Florida GLBT community organizations: Proceeds from Pridefest are distributed through a grant program each Spring.

For more information on Pridefest events, volunteering and other activities, please visit their website at www.PrideSouthFlorida.org or call the PrideLine at (954) 561-2020.
Here’s what you need to know…

When:       12:00 noon – 7:00 p.m.   Saturday, March 21st and Sunday, March 22nd

Where:      Holiday Park / War Memorial Auditorium – 730 North Federal Highway,
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Tickets:     All ticket proceeds benefit our community – See our Grants Page
$8 per person per day
$5 per Student per day (w/valid ID)

o Great DJ’s!
o Dance Tent with Dance Floor
o Food Court and Cocktails
o Outside Stage
o Fabulous Merchandise and Vendors
o GLBT Support and Education Information
o Games
o Florida’s Largest AIDS Memorial Quilt Display

WILTON MANORS – Huddled under a tent with her partner, Donna Fearon was determined not to let rain spoil her fun at the Stonewall Street Festival on Sunday.

She came out to celebrate gay and lesbian pride. In the 30 years she has lived in the region, there has been a lot of progress, she said.

“People are feeling more open to be themselves and show affection,” Fearon said. “There’s no gawking. Pretty soon there will be no need for gay clubs. Everyone will be together.”

Fearon was among thousands who braved heavy downpours and strong winds to come out to this weekend’s ninth Stonewall Street Festival in Wilton Manors. For the first time, the festival was a two-day event, with a parade along Wilton Drive on Saturday night and a community festival with an array of vendors and entertainment on Sunday.

Bobby Kyser, one of the organizers, said over the two days the event drew close to 40,000 people. The rain didn’t curtail any of the festivities.

“I come for the camaraderie,” said Jonathan Winters, of Wilton Manors, a masseuse and kickboxer who tries to attend every year.

The festival marks the anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. After Judy Garland died, some members of the gay community met at the Stonewall Inn in New York City to mourn the loss of an icon. Police raided the bar and the patrons fought back over three days of rioting. The riots served to galvanize the gay community, said Bill Greeves, with the Stonewall Library and Archives in Fort Lauderdale.

“We were just damn mad and not going to take it anymore,” he said about the discrimination then.

On Sunday it was like a reunion. Families clogged the street with strollers and shared hugs and updates with their friends.

“I like the fact that there are so many babies,” said Holley Mosley, of Fort Lauderdale. Mosley and her partner brought their 2-week-old son, Thomas, to the festival.

In addition to the small-business vendors and community outreach organizations, political candidates were out in full force, with rainbow buttons and the word “pride” all over their literature.

“I know some of the politicians here aren’t gay,” said Chris Hassett, of Fort Lauderdale. “But at least they came. At least they know we exist.”

Georgia East can be reached at 954-356-4629 or geast@sun-sentinel.com.

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Bill and John

The Cabanas Guesthouse