The 28th Annual World AIDS Day is Dec. 1. From the early morning hours of that day at the YMCA in Ocala to the not-as-early morning hours of Saturday’s AIDS Walk in St. Pete, the community will be honoring the memories and celebrating the lives of those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
World AIDS Day is held on the first of December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.
Below is a listing of events throughout Central Florida, Tampa Bay and Sarasota.
Orlando
Marion County World AIDS Day Vigil
Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 a.m- 4 p.m.
Frank Deluca YMCA Family Center, 3200 SE 17th St. Ocala 34471
352-368-9622; YMCACentralFlorida.com
Come to the Frank DeLuca YMCA 6 am Thursday, Dec. 1, for a public candlelight vigil. The event will give the community an opportunity to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.
World AIDS Day: A Day of Remembrance
Thursday, Dec. 1, 12-4 p.m.
Orange County Library System, 101 E Central Blvd. Orlando 32801
407-835-7323; HopeAndHelp.org
Join Hope and Help Center of Central Florida in remembrance of lost family and friends. They will be offering HIV/STI education and no-cost HIV and Hepatitis C testing in the Magnolia Room. The Age of AIDS, a PBS documentary that follows the trials and triumphs that have come with the AIDS epidemic, will be shown in the Albertson Room.
World AIDS Day
Thursday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m.
Orange County Regional History Center, 65 E. Central Blvd. Orlando 32801
407-836-8500; TheHistoryCenter.org
An evening of remembrance, awareness and a call to action for future generations. Please join the Orlando Immunology Clinic at the Orange County Regional History Center in the creation of a local AIDS memorial quilt as they reflect and connect with others in hopes of an AIDS free generation.
GLBT Center of Central Florida’s 3rd Annual Candlelight Walk to Remember
Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.
Lake Eola Park, Orlando
407-228-8272; TheCenterOrlando.org
Join the GLBT Center of Central Florida and its partners for the third annual World AIDS Day Candlelight Walk. This event is to remember those lost to the disease, stand with those living with it and look towards the future. The walk will begin at Lake Eola and will join up with the Orange County Regional History Center event.
Tampa Bay
How to Survive a Plague Showing and Candlelight Vigil
Thursday, Dec 1, 7 p.m.
METRO Community Center, 3251 3rd Ave N #125 St. Petersburg 33713
727-321-3854; MetroTampaBay.org
In honor of World AIDS Day, METRO and the Suncoast AIDS Theatre Project will be showing the 2012 Academy Award-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague, the story of two coalitions – ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) – whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. The film will be followed by a candlelight vigil.
ASAP/Empath Health’s World AIDS Day
Thursday, Dec. 1, 3 p.m.
ASAP, 3050 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg 33712
727-328-3260; EmpathHealth.org
The AIDS Service Association of Pinellas will host a World AIDS Day event at their south Pinellas offices and it is open to the public. ASAP will have light snacks, guest speakers and will toll the AIDS Memorial Bells.
One World Getting to Zero
Thursday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
St. Petersburg College – St. Pete/Gibbs Campus, 6605 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg 33710
727-491-8120; Pinellas.FloridaHealth.gov
“One World Getting to Zero” World AIDS Day event will be at St. Petersburg College’s Gibbs Campus on the Quad Lawn from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Free Health screenings, food, prizes, live entertainment and more.
Hillsborough County’s World AIDS Day
Friday, Dec. 2, 7 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Florida Department of Health main facility, 91105 E. Kennedy Blvd, Tampa 33602
813-307-8064; Hillsborough.FloridaHealth.gov
Hillsborough County’s World AIDS Day Event will be held on December 2, 2016 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the main facility. They will be offering FREE HIV & STD testing, vendors, incentives and fun.
AIDS Walk & 5K Run
Saturday, Dec. 10, 8 a.m.
Vinoy Park, 701 Bay Shore Dr NE, St. Petersburg 33701
727-467-7423; AidsWalkTampaBay.org
The Tampa Bay AIDS Walk & 5k Run is coming to town again Dec. 10. The event begins and ends at Vinoy Park in Downtown St. Petersburg and check-in is at 8 a.m. for participants. Registration is free for the walk, but there are incentive prizes for those raising $35, $150, $250, $350, $500, $750, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. The registration for the 5k Run is $35 and includes a T-shirt, Race Bib, & Timing Chip.
Sarasota
World AIDS Day
Thursday, Dec. 1, 6 p.m.
St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Rd. Sarasota 34242
941-355-0847; BonifaceChurch.org/Parish
St. Boniface will be the host congregation for the World AIDS Day service on December 1, 2016. The service is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Affirming the Interfaith Network (GAIN), which is composed of diverse faith communities that affirm the dignity of all persons. The service will begin with the reading of the names at 6 p.m., followed by a brief memorial service at 7:00pm. Representatives of Boniface and other GAIN member congregations will be a part of the memorial service, which will include a choral offering by the Diversity Voices of Sarasota. A reception will follow the service.
