ABOVE: Red & Green 2021. Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent.
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride welcomed supporters to Sunken Gardens Dec. 11 for the return of its Red & Green Party.
Billed as St. Petersburg’s 100-year-old living museum, Sunken Gardens is home to more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers. They surrounded 600 attendees at this year’s sold out fundraiser, which in response to the pandemic was last held in 2019.
“THE LGBTQ+ holiday party of Tampa Bay is back and better than ever!” organizers shared beforehand. “Join us at the remarkable Sunken Gardens for an unforgettable holiday celebration under the stars.”
Ticket sales and silent auction items benefited the organization’s continued mission to promote unity and visibility for Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community. In addition to food and drinks, the evening featured entertainment from Kori Stevens, Ashlee T. Bangkx, Jaeda Fuentes, Jay Miah and more.
Thanking guests for their support, President Tiffany Freisberg reflected on Red & Green’s return as well as next year’s landmark 20th St Pete Pride. “Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 25th!” she said. “We have a goal of making it our largest Pride celebration to date.”
St Pete Pride also utilized the opportunity to honor outgoing St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
“You have been more than an ally, you’ve been an advocate,” Freisberg said. “You’ve been essential in St Pete Pride growing to become the organization it is today. On behalf of St Pete Pride, we’d like to celebrate your work and thank you for your unwavering support of our community with this Outstanding Ally award.”
Watermark, a proud sponsor of Red & Green, was on hand to help mark its return. View our photos below.
Photos by Ryan Williams-Jent.
You can also view photos and video from St. Petersburg LGBTQ Liaison Jim Nixon and St Pete Pride below:
To learn more about St Pete Pride’s 20th celebration next year, watch future issues of Watermark and visit WatermarkOnline.com and StPetePride.org.
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