ABOVE: Pride Fort Lauderdale, photo via the celebration’s Facebook page.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | After a long and difficult year and with all the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to large gatherings and festivals, Fort Lauderdale has announced that it will be hosting its 2021 Pride Festival Nov. 20-21 on Fort Lauderdale’s beach.
Organizers announced that Pride Fort Lauderdale 2021’s theme will be “Glitter and Gratitude.”
“As we enter our 44th year as Florida’s first LGBTQ Pride festival, we are reminded of how far we’ve come and how much we have to be grateful for,” Pride Fort Lauderdale President Miik Martorell said. “The LGBTQ community has seen significant changes in our community and in society and this year’s theme, Glitter and Gratitude, honors those accomplishments.”
With hundreds of LGBTQ-owned and operated businesses and the highest concentration of same-sex households in the country, Fort Lauderdale welcomes 1.5 million LGBTQ visitors annually. This tourism brings in a large amount of revenue for Greater Fort Lauderdale, with an average of $1.5 billion.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is considered Florida’s LGBTQ capital, with one of the country’s main Pride Centers, the world’s first AIDS museum, the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association’s (IGLTA) global headquarters and the Stonewall Museum, one of the country’s few permanent spaces dedicated to exhibits related to LGBTQ heritage and culture.
On Nov. 18, Pride will present the Pride Runway Fashion Show at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which will include designs by alumni from Bravo’s Project Runway along with local designers. On Nov. 20-21, there will be a two-day beach festival that will include a street parade down A1A, three stages of entertainment, 150 vendors, headlining performances, and sunset concerts.
Pride 2021 has also partnered with AIDS Healthcare Foundation to feature an Afro Pride stage for performances during the weekend. Trans Pride is a celebration within Pride Fort Lauderdale’s festival that will feature local trans-led organizations, businesses and resources. This year, the festival will focus on highlighting local trans programs and services that can assist the LGBTQ community in recovering from the pandemic.
“While we still have the work to do making sure our trans and BIPOC communities are included and represented, our past accomplishments prove that we can do anything when we work together with love and sincerity,” Martorell said.
For more information, visit PrideFortLauderdale.org.
