Thursday, June 25
Stonewall Commemorative Reception
6 p.m.–9 p.m., St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Dr. N.E.
The Stonewall Commemorative Reception is St. Pete Pride’s sponsor and friends’ reception. Fine foods, beautiful art—including the Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life and Legends—will be provided for those who have helped make St. Pete Pride a successful organization. This event replaces Taste of Pride, which will return in October as part of the InterPride festivities. For more information visit StPetePride.com
Friday, June 26
Laughter In Paradise
8 p.m.-11 p.m., TradeWinds Resort, 5500 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach
To LGBT comedians will continue the tradition of Laughter in paradise, but this time the laughter will be near the water. The luxurious TradeWinds Resort, which will host InterPride in October, will house several comedians the night before the big street festival along Central Avenue.
Pride Night at Georgie’s Alibi
9 p.m.-Midnight, Georgie’s Alibi, 3100 3rd Ave. N.
Georgie’s Alibi will hold another St. Pete Pride night the night before the Street Festival and Promenade. High energy music, light shows and drink specials will get you in the mood to celebrate. But don’t overdo it; you’re due back on the streets by 10 a.m. Saturday morning!
Saturday, June 27
Una-Voce Pride Pancake Breakfast
7 a.m.-10 a.m., King of Peace MCC, 3150 5th Ave. N.
Pride day is a big day, so why not start with a big breakfast? The annual pancake breakfast provided by Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale, is only $6 with a portion donated back to Pride. Pancakes, coffee and juice are among the selections at the annual breakfast. For details visit Una-Voce.org.
St. Pete Pride Promenade
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Route is from Georgie’s Alibi, through Kenwood and along Central Avenue
Floats from organizations, clubs, social groups and businesses will be decked out in rainbow colors for the annual St. Pete Pride Promenade. The parade will feature Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, this year’s Grand Marshal, along with performers and entertainers of all kinds.
St. Pete Pride Street Festival
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Vendors from across the state will perch along Central Avenue to celebrate their commitment to diversity. But remember, June is hot, so wear light colored clothes and wear a hat to protect yourself from that Florida sun. Oh, and don’t forget the sunscreen!
Pride Bingo Night
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., King of Peace MCC, King of Peace MCC, 3150 5th Ave. N.
Enjoy some bingo with the drag queens of the MCC church while raising money for LGBT charities. The monthly bingo night coincides with Pride, and you can expect the energy level to be even higher than normal.
Sunday, June 28
Detox Beach Day
10 a.m.-5 p.m., Pinellas County’s Gulf Coast
Sunday is traditionally beach day for St. Petersburg’s LGBT community, so the St. Pete Pride board suggests taking your favorite rainbow umbrella and flag beach towel to your favorite beach and celebrate diversity along the water. LGBT friendly beaches include Fort DeSoto, Pass-A-Grille, Gulfport, North Shore Beach and Sunset Beach.
Retox Party
5:30 p.m.-Midnight, Georgie’s Alibi, 3100 3rd Ave. N.
Didn’t get enough partying in on Saturday? Don’t worry, you can get your dance on at Georgie’s Alibi during the Retox party, St. Pete Pride’s official closing party. You should also hang out to see who wins the SMART Car that is available for raffles throughout the month. Benefits from that raffle benefit St. Pete Pride. For details, visit StPetePride.com.
Shirley Q. Liquor
9 p.m.-11 p.m., Club Nautico, 4900 66th St. N.
How you durrin’? You’ll be durrin’ fine after watching Shirley Q. Liquor live on the Crown Theatre stage. The popular comedian will help bring St. Pete Pride to a close with a one-night performance. Tickets into the “Theatre of Ignunce” are $10-$15 and are available at the club or online at MySpace.com/NauticoBar.
ST. PETE PRIDE ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP
St. Petersburg As in year’s past, St. Pete Pride will present some of the best entertainers from Tampa Bay on two stages during the annual Street Festival and Promenade on Saturday, June 27. The two stages—the Seaside Villas Stage at 25th Street and the MillerCoors stage at 21st Street—will provide entertainment at both ends of the Central Avenue festival.
While times and acts are subject to change, the schedule below is a fairly accurate representation of where and when to catch your favorite acts during Florida’s largest LGBT Pride festival.
Seaside Villas Stage
Central and 25th St.
10:30 a.m. Canaan Band
Christian bands come in all shapes and forms, including groups of LGBTs. Canaan Band has been in the Tampa Bay area for several years and plans to release its third album later this year. Popular songs like “Shine” inspire people of faith of all Christian denominations, regardless of their sexual orientation. Melanie, David Lee, James Blanchard and Amy Black are all songwriters and contribute to the band’s vocals. The group has done concerts throughout the southeast United States but can often be seen at Christ the Cornerstone Church in Pinellas Park. For more information, visit CanaanBand.com.
11:15 p.m. Halcyon
Longtime Tampa Bay area favorites Stephanie Callahan and Deb Hunseder of Halcyon got together in 1989 as a result of a chance meeting. Over the years they have developed a unique and fiercely loyal group of fans who have now spilled over into second and third generations of listeners. In 2008 Halcyon had festival-goers literally dancing in the streets while bringing their energy and we expect more of the same in 2009. For more information, visit HalcyonMusic.com.
11:45 Someday Souvenir
Dari Mahnic, Stephanie Wood and Christine DeRado formed Someday Souvenir after their former band developed a following with enough of a loyal fan base to earn them The Weekly Planet’s Readers Choice award as 2003’s Best New Band. The band took a break to write more material after their debut and eventually added Riz Blanton on drums and Leo Savinion on bass. For more information, visit MySpace.com/SomedaySouvenir.
12:30 p.m. Ricky Wilcox
Ricky Wilcox is a versatile and popular St. Pete musician with serious alternative rock credentials and power pop roots, and has toured the US extensively as well as Japan, Germany, and Canada. Over the last year Ricky’s song ‘Insignificant’ from his CD monkeyshine has been featured in a recurring story line on the primetime soap “All My Children” on ABC TV. For more information on Wilcox, visit RickyWilcox.com.
1 p.m. Double M Band
The Double M Band has been a Tampa Bay staple at Pride events and fundraisers for years. Mario Jooste and Michael Monrad are working on their third album and have appeared at LGBT Pride events throughout the state. They have added the talents of Pat Discianno on background vocals and percussion. For more information on Double M Band, visit DoubleMBand.com.
1:45 p.m. ROTC
The Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps are to St. Pete Pride as to what barbecue is to Independence Day. The LGBT performers have been a part of St. Pete Pride since the beginning and will bring their high-energy routines to the stage after they march in the promenade.
2:15: Karmic Tattoo
The combined members of Karmic Tattoo have been rocking the Tampa Bay area for many years. The band has been in the studio this year recording their second CD, due to be released soon. For more information visit MySpace.com/KarmicTattooMusic.
3 p.m. One World Eclectic
The newly formed One World Eclectic group promises to bring a stage production seeped in music, dance, sights and sounds. The troupe was formed by Kris Doubles of Grand Central Entertainment and features members of the bay area’s diversified acting community. From Broadway and pop music and beyond, this production features a talented cast of stage actors who plan to send messages of hope, progress and equality.
3:30 p.m. Mr. and Miss St. Pete Pride
Earlier this month drag performers competed at Club Nautico for the title of Mr. and Miss St. Pete Pride. The winners of those competitions will take the Seaside Villas Stage toward the end of the St. Pete Pride street festival to bring it to a climactic end. Make sure to check out the best drag performers in the area.
Miller/Coors stage, 21st St. and Central
10:30 a.m. Kelly Neff
If you’ve ever been to one of the all-girl bars in St. Petersburg, you’ve run into indie rocker Kelly Neff. The guitarist, songwriter and performer is a constant performer at places like The Hideaway, Gulfport on the Rocks and Gemini Lounge. She has also appeared on the stage at several St. Pete Pride festivals in the past. For more information on Neff, visit MySpace.com/KellyNeff.
11:15 6-Pak and Aspen Love
No Pride event would be complete without some male and female impersonators, and few are as prepared to step into that role as 6-Pak and Aspen Love. 6-Pak, a one-time Watermark cover feature, has dominated male impersonation throughout the southeast while Aspen Love’s beauty has enamored crowds throughout Florida. The pair will share the Miller/Coors stage at St. Pete Pride’s Street Festival.
12:30 p.m. Stephanie Shippae
The popular showgirl Stephanie Shippae will entertain the crowds at St. Pete Pride again this year. Shippae has appeared at every Pride and recently took part in the El Goya Reunion show at Club Czar in Ybor City. She’s also a regular performer at Blur in Dunedin. In 2007 she was part of the entertainment lineup at Winter Pride Tampa Bay and her familiar catch phrase, “Hey Everybody,” relays her wish for everyone in the crowd to enjoy themselves. She has multiple titles, including Miss Mardi Gras.
1 p.m. Patti B.
Patti B. has been performing professionally since the age of 15, in acoustic, electric, single, duo, trio and full band projects. Patti has expanded her musical talent on an ongoing basis and continues her musical journey through the millennium. Patti enjoys performing cover material and doing popular songs but also concentrates on writing and performing her own tunes. For more information, visit PattiB.net.
1:30 p.m. Bath House the Musical
Bath House the Musical takes an honest and very comedic look inside the walls of a gay bath house while its characters hunt for sex, love and a disease-free experience. The comedy was a hit last year at The Ritz Ybor and a special, shortened version will be sure to keep the crowd entertained at Pride. Plus, who can resist four shirtless men in nothing but towels?
2:15 p.m. Talent Quest Florida
On the surface Talent Quest Florida is a karaoke competition, but upon closer examination it so much more than that. The regional singing competition is the largest of its kind in the world and produced a national champion at last year’s finals in Laughlin Nevada. That champion, Lonza Bartlett, will perform along with past winners Jenny Jones and Phil Garris, who is also a co-owner of the competition. The cast of singers cover all ethnic backgrounds as well as sexual orientations and presents an incredible glimpse of diversity in entertainment. For more information visit TalentQuestFlorida.com.
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Kim DiMarco
At the age of 14, Kim DiMarco picked up a guitar that was lying around the house and taught herself how to play. She has played extensively in the Orlando circuit for more than six years. For more information visit MySpace.com/KimAcoustic.
