Bradenton, Fla. – For those looking for a free, family-friendly event to celebrate the LGBT community, Manatee Pride is the place.
The third annual Manatee Pride will take place on Saturday, March 19, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Bradenton Riverwalk. Guests can take a stroll by the water, watch daredevils at the skate park, and see children at the playground and splash pad all while enjoying fun food and live entertainment.
Manatee Pride is a fundraiser benefiting LGBT organization Prism Youth Initiative.
Valerie Fisher, Manatee Pride committee chair and Prism Youth Initiative board president, says Pride was launched because funding in the early days was difficult and sometimes the organization only had $1 or $2 in the bank account.
Fisher’s wife Melissa Rhodes, Prism outreach coordinator and Manatee Pride board member, says she and Fisher took a risk when they decided to hold the festival at the Riverwalk. Manatee County members were initially concerned about security and protests. Rhodes says Manatee County is different from other pride festivals because Bradenton is a quieter, softer town and has required a more gentle approach.
“It really is a beautiful, peaceful event,” Rhodes says. “We promote peace and create peace. You see children playing in the splash park with vendors all around. It’s a normal Saturday in downtown Bradenton.”
Fisher says the first festival included two food vendors, an ice cream truck and beer. Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota was the only live performer.
“We just dug in and really didn’t know what we were doing, but we got it done amazingly,” Fisher says. “It was mostly a sunny day where people came together and were out and proud in Manatee County for the first time.”
Three years later, vendors, entertainers, sponsors and attendees have skyrocketed. This year’s music will include The Hatley Band, Jess Lynn Soul and Moxie Moxie. Guests will enjoy live entertainment by local drag queens such as Ashlee T. Bangks, Lady Liemont, Lindsay Carlton and Kiki Butter Mischief. The Players Theatre of Sarasota will also feature child and adult performances including selections from Annie and Les Miserables. For those feeling photogenic, a manatee prop will be available for photo opportunities, a flashback retro idea that stemmed from some of the youths at Prism.
Rhodes says Prism youth involvement is especially important to Manatee Pride. Youth are invited to Pride meetings and encouraged to voice their opinions on issues such as merchandise and lineups because the fundraiser is solely for their benefit.
“We are really fortunate that Prism is finally catching on in the community,” Rhodes says. “It would be great to get the community to see how much effort goes into creating this one particular day and all the other days at Prism throughout the year. The alliances [the youth] have built with each other is amazing. They need all of us and each other.”
Deviating from last year’s fine dining food selections, this year’s event will include food trucks, ice cream and fair-themed eats. Food vendors include Riverside Rollin’ Smoke, The Traveling Kitchen, Croz’s Surfshak, B’s Cool Treats, Kona Ice and Starbucks.
Several of last year’s sponsors are returning again this year and are not only providing financial support, but volunteer support as well. The Community AIDS Network will offer a mobile unit for HIV testing and at least 35 festival volunteers. Tropicana will bring their juice caboose or, alternatively, provide juice on a van. Brighthouse and Manatee Educational Television (METV) ran Manatee Pride’s spot 500 times before last year’s festival and, this year, will run a commercial filmed by Prism Youth. Additionally, U.S. Trust will double their financial support.
Other sponsors include Macy’s, Tannenbaum Law Group, The Bradenton Herald, Watermark and Watermark Online, Rainbow411.com, J & J Graphics, Joe Cool Air Conditioning & Heating, Braden River Antiques, Metropolitan Charities, Wal-Mart, Clear Health Alliance, Central Tattoo Studio & Gallery, MCR Health Services, Flamingo Resort, Kimberly & Etienne Bleach, Suncoast Motorsports and Barrel 87.
Those looking to continue the fun after 5 p.m. can head to Barrel 87 in Sarasota for the event after-party. Barrel 87, formerly Throb Nightclub, is the only LGBTQ bar in Sarasota open to the public.
Joseph Allen, Barrel 87 owner, says the venue will feature $1 Jell-O shots all night long, $3 barrel brews, local drag queens and free HIV testing through the CARES Outreach Services’ mobile unit.
“I want the community to know [Barrel 87] is here to stay,” Allen says. “There was some controversy with the new ownership, but I want the community to know we are here for them, we support them and we look forward to forming ties with Manatee Pride.”
Fisher says about 2000 people attended last year’s Manatee Pride and she is hoping to double the number this year. She feels optimistic that the festival will continue to grow considering its success over the last two years. Fisher says she has had to request vendors in the past, but now vendors are knocking on the door.
“We do Manatee Pride because of the kids, and that’s the bottom line,” Fisher says. “So that they have a safe place to come and be who they are and experience themselves in a warm, welcoming, nonjudgmental place.”
For general Manatee Pride information, visit ManateePride.com. For more information about becoming a sponsor or vendor, visit ManateePride.com/pride-sponsors-and-vendors-2016.
“I’m really happy that the city of Bradenton is embracing us and is happy to work with us to bring the community together to celebrate LGBT people,” Fisher says. “We want to make Manatee Pride broadly appealing to the whole community and show that there is something there for everyone.”
