ABOVE: Tampa Pride greets guests at the Florida Aquarium May 20. (Photo by Dylan Todd)
TAMPA | Tampa Pride held its annual VIP Sponsors Party at the Florida Aquarium May 20, showcasing the venue and honoring the celebration’s sponsors and grand marshals ahead of its 2021 return May 22.
The evening was co-hosted by Tampa Pride President Carrie West and Tampa Bay ABC affiliate WFTS anchor Vanessa Araiza. “Yes, we had a year off,” West mused, “but I’ll tell you we did a lot of work to make things happen … we worked overtime.”
The duo subsequently introduced a number of sponsors as well as Mr. Tampa Pride himself, Kirk T. DaVinci. They also discussed Tampa Pride 2021’s grand marshals, many of whom attended to detail their commitment to the community.
Speakers included local LGBTQ advocates Sally Phillips and Ercilia Albistu, Carol “Mama” Steen, Angelique “Lady Janet” Padro, Jay Chetney, as well as professional wrestler and celebrity grand marshal Effy. Watermark, this year’s community organization grand marshal, also reflected on serving the Tampa Bay community since 1994.
Learn more about this year’s grand marshals and the entire celebration in the official Tampa Pride guide. View our photos from the sponsor party below.
Photos by Dylan Todd.
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