(Photo courtesy Fabulous Arts Foundation)
SARASOTA | The Fabulous Arts Foundation will hold its Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest May 8-10, a three-day celebration of queer creativity and community.
The festival will mark 15 years that the Fabulous Arts Foundation has been committed to nonprofit work and fostering the arts as a space for connection. The organization rebranded from the Harvey Milk Festival in 2021 but has continued to honor the legacy of the late politician through its work.
The nonprofit held the grand opening of the Fab LGBTQIA+ Center in January to offer the community a year-round place to create, heal and connect, which this year’s celebration will benefit. Fab AF offers workshops, classes, mental health services and more.
The “Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest is more than a festival — it’s a movement,” organizers share. “For 15 years, the Fabulous Arts Foundation has used the arts as a tool for social change, providing LGBTQ+ individuals a platform to be seen, heard and celebrated. This festival fosters joy, resilience, and community while amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ artists.”
Its “three days of fabulousness” will officially kick off in the space May 8 at 6 p.m. with the exhibition “Rooted & Radical: The Art of Queer & Trans Resilience,” a free event open to the public. It will be a celebration of strength, heritage and the transformative power of creative expression. The collection features works by queer and trans artists exploring themes of self-discovery, resistance, healing and radical self-expression.
Following the kickoff will be the Tea4T Drag Open Stage, also held at the center May 9 at 7 p.m. Organizers promise a night of bold performances, dazzling artistry and unapologetic queer joy. The ticketed, 18+ event will bring together local and regional drag performers, blending traditional drag with experimental and boundary-pushing acts.
The Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest will close the weekend May 10 from 3-10 p.m. It will feature a lineup of LGBTQ+ and ally musicians headlined by Berra, an indie-pop artist from D.C. with a soulful and alternative sound, and GeeXella, a DJ from Atlanta who incorporates house, techno, soca, and baile funk into their sets.
There will also be performances from regional fan favorites like MeteorEYES, Hovercar, Ending Apathy, Merge Eleven and Diversity: Voices of Sarasota. The acts promote messages of inclusivity, authenticity, and support for marginalized communities through their music to redefine the scene. Read more below:
“I founded the Harvey Milk Festival 15 years ago alongside a group of passionate community members who were ready to fight for our rights through art, music, and activism,” says Fab AF Founder and Executive Director Shannon Fortner. “It was always about taking up space, creating change and being loud in a world that tried to silence us.
“That spirit of resistance is still at the core of what we do — but now, with the Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest and our new LGBTQ+ center, we’re able to offer tangible resources, hold space for healing, and lift up our community in ways we once only dreamed of,” they continue. “To see how far we’ve come — there truly aren’t words. It’s powerful, it’s necessary and it’s all fueled by love.”
The Fabulous Arts Foundation’s three-day Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Festival will be held May 8-10 in Sarasota. Fore more information, visit FabAF.org.
