(Photo by Adi Adinayev; courtesy Winter Party Festival)
The National LGBTQ Task Force, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group working to advance freedom and equality amongst the community, will host its 32nd Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach from Feb. 26 to March 4. Since 1994, the week-long dance and music festival has helped raise over $3.8 million for like-minded advocacy groups across South Florida through the LGBTQ+ Equity Fund and attracts more than 10,000 attendees annually.
This year’s theme, “Dance is Revolution,” will feature exhilarating performances from international DJs like Chus, Karsten Sollors and Tom Stephen.
“With over 30 years of history raising critical funds for our community, this year’s festival is our most exciting to date,” Jason Hellinger, Winter Party Festival co-chair, said in a statement. “We’re bringing a world-class DJ roster that includes the international talent you’ve come to expect, as well as fresh faces to shake up our lineup and continue evolving the sound of the festival. We want all of our guests to feel the love our volunteers put into the festival while dancing alongside your chosen family. Prepare for a dance revolution.”
The festival’s 12 events will be scattered throughout Miami and Miami Beach’s most vibrant venues, sure to embody this year’s mantra: “Live free. Play hard. Give back.”
Among the events are LOCALIZE, a community networking opportunity; Ignite, a dancing event sure to ignite a “religious experience” with help from DJ Dangerous Rose and event producers Midnight Service; Under One Sun, a daytime event featuring DJs Deanne and Dawson; The Beach Party, the festival’s iconic near end-of-week celebration with DJs Micky Friedmann and Erik Vilar; and ACTION! FINALE to close out the week.
Additionally, the National LGBTQ Task Force will host a VIP Cocktail Reception to honor staff member and Pridelines board member Lisa Mercado.
“For those who’ve joined us before, you know this week-long symphony of music and movement is part of what unites us to celebrate, connect, and honor the joy that fuels our strength,” Kierra Johnson, president of the National LGBTQ Task Force, said in a statement. “We would be remiss not to highlight why the Winter Party Festival remains a thriving cornerstone of queer culture as one of the last remaining community-owned circuit parties. Part of the answer lies in the very ground we gather upon. Florida — a state where hateful, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is rampant and harmful policies are piloted — has become a testing ground for authoritarian strategies designed to suppress our existence. Historically, the policies that take root here are then exported to harm other communities.”
The National LGBTQ Task Force’s Winter Party Festival will be held in Miami Beach Feb. 26-March 4. To purchase individual or multi-event tickets, please visit WinterParty.com.