Pride Gives Back
June is Pride Month, when the world's LGBT communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.
Pride gatherings have always been a celebration of acceptance, of resilience and of bringing people together.
Pride events are geared toward anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream.
The original organizers chose June for Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which took place at the end of June 1969. The Stonewall uprising in New York City helped sparked the modern gay rights movement.
Last year, Pride events were canceled or postponed across South Florida and the rest of the country because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the celebrations are slowly returning this year.
Here is a listing of some of the major events:
PRIDE FORT LAUDERDALE
SATURDAY JUNE 12
Pride Fort Lauderdale is hosting a FLoatarama boat event
A flotilla of boats decorated with LGBTQ+ themes will ride on the New River from the Stranahan House ending with a raft-up in Sunrise Bay. If you don't have a boat, you can enjoy the event with the Water Taxi Flotilla Experience. To register a boat, go to PrideFL.ee4.us/parades.
This is the official kick-off event to Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride.
SUNDAY JUNE 13:
Pride Fort Lauderdale is hosting the Sailor's T-Dance party at the Sanctuary Church on Federal Highway featuring DJ Matt Consola of SwishCraft.
Click here for more info and tickets.
STONEWALL PRIDE PARADE & STREET FESTIVAL
SATURDAY JUNE 19
3 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Stonewall Pride celebrates the historic Stonewall Riots and the start of the LGBT+ human rights movement. There will be a street festival with vendors and live music starting at 3 p.m. on a blocked-off Wilton Drive. The parade starts at 7 p.m. Bring your glow sticks, battery-powered candles and other kinds of lighting to fit in with the theme this year: Out of the Darkness, Into the Light.
Admission is free, but organizers suggest a $5 donation which you can pre-pay online at TicketTailor.com.
Click here for more info.
MODS' THIRD ANNUAL FAMILY PRIDE CELEBRATIONS
SATURDAY JUNE 26
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Museum of Discovery and Science is holding their Third Annual Family Pride Celebration at the museum located in downtown Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village. The event includes make-your-own Pride flag sessions; story time sessions, special colorful demonstrations in the Rainbow Science Lab and do it yourself tie-dye, just bring your own shirt.
Admission is $5 and free for City of Fort Lauderdale residents with proof of address. Masks are mandatory.
Click here to register.
COMMUNITEA DANCE
SATURDAY JUNE 26
6:30 p.m.
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts LGBTQ+ Pride celebration is returning for its fourth installment at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. The event features a stellar lineup of South Florida-based LGBTQ+ artists, including international superstar DJ Citizen Jane, choreographers Alaina Andersen (of Miami City Ballet) and Randolph Ward (creative director of RTW Dance Productions), plus a soul-inspired rock 'n' roll concert by Patrick & The Swayzees that will make you twist and shout!
The audience will be socially distanced while comfortably seated at tables of up to four guests.
Tickets are $15.
Click here for more info and tickets.
There will also be a new event, a Pride Marketplace from 3-7 p.m. on the Thomson Plaza for the Arts on the grounds of the Arsht Center. Admission is free. The outdoor market will feature local LGBTQ+ artisans and small businesses plus food and drink specials and tunes by DJ Hottpants.
Click here for more information.
MIAMI BEACH
Miami Beach is recognized as a top travel destination for LGBTQ travelers. Additionally, Miami Beach is home to organizations like the LGBTQ Visitor Center in Miami Beach and the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, a testament to the city's diversity, unity, and equality for all. Celebrating pride this month and throughout the year, Miami Beach is hosting an array of events, including the Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade and Pride Bar Crawl, along with virtual networking events.
LGBTQ+ CHAMBER CROSS COUNTRY PRIDE EVENT
JUNE 15:
The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MDGLCC) invites the community to a night of virtual networking on June 15 via Zoom. This event will bring together allied business owners, employees, and fellow LGBTQ+ chambers from across the country. Spots are limited, and registration is currently open.
PRIDE BAR CRAWL
JUNE 16:
Celebrate Pride Month on June 16 starting at 7 p.m., by enjoying five free drinks at the top LGBTQ bars on South Beach, including Bar Gaythering, Axel Beach, Nathan's Bar, PALACE, and Twist. Tickets are just $25, and participants will receive a free drink at each bar. Ticketholders will have the chance to enter a giveaway and win a grand prize valued at $1,200, which includes hotel stays, dinners, bar tabs, and VIP bottle service at destination bars.
MIAMI BEACH GAY PARADE AND FESTIVAL:
SEPT. 10 – 19:
The Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade and Festival returns in September and will feature a host of events, including Miss Miami Beach Pride Drag Queen Competition, Queer Art Pop-up Showcase, Pride Lights the Night, and more. This year's theme is "Out of This World."
The iconic festival and parade will also return at Lummus Park.
Click here for more information.
SOUTH FLORIDA AFRO PRIDE PARADE & MUSIC FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 8 – 10
The Afro Pride Parade & Music Festival is an annual International Pride held in Fort Lauderdale cultivated for the Black & Brown LGBTQIA+ community. It provides a culturally informed platform and a safe place where the people of color in the LGBTQIA community can celebrate shared cultural norms, feel empowered, included, and a sense of unity & solidarity while raising awareness about disparities and social injustices within the community.
It's described as a celebration of Self-Love, Social Justice, Equality & Diversity.
Click here for more information.
FANTASY FEST KEY WEST
October 22 – 31
The end of the pride festivities caps off with one of the most epic LGBTQ+ events in the country. It's the famous and also infamous Fantasy Fest.
This year's theme is "The Roaring 2020s" and the event offers a full 10 days of costuming, parades, libations, and exuberance throughout the island of Key West. This is definitely an adults' only event.
Click here for more information.
GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE PRIDE
November 20-21
A whole weekend of fun at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. The theme for the 44th year of the Pride Fort Lauderdale event is "Glitter and Gratitude." Festival includes a street parade on A1A, three stages with entertainment, 150 vendors and DJs.
Click here to learn more.
LGBTQ Friendly Businesses
South Florida cities and communities are reopening restaurants, shops and bars. If you are looking to support LGBTQ friendly businesses in South Florida, here are some links that can help.
Other Helpful Links
Pridelines: To support, educate and empower South Florida's LGBTQ youth and community in safe and diverse spaces to promote dialogue, wellness, and to foster social change.
EqualityFL: The largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.