SoBe Pride :: Packing the Power
Miraculously this is only the third year that South Beach celebrates its official Gay Pride! It's one of the coronation events of the season; meaning among the first that the country celebrates to kick off the Pride Parties across the country. As a Miami transplant, having spent my adolescence in the shining city, I experienced South Beach as it launched its renaissance as one of the most spectacular gay destinations in our country, and at the heart of it, the glorious South Beach!
It was across from the famous Palace Bar and Grill on Ocean Drive minutes from what has always been considered the gay stretch of beach that as a young person I experienced my first Tea Dance. Under the hot summer sun, on a make-shift dance platform, with a DJ set-up I raised my hands in the air and I let my soul run free dancing into dusk on the beach. I don't think I had ever seen so many smiling people in one place. It was where I was introduced to the party! It's a testament to the joy and inspiration of the great city of Miami Beach.
This Year’s Secret Identity?
Miami Beach Gay Pride Board Member and Vice-President Danny Spring revealed to me some of the highlights and the theme for this year's event - which will certainly pack a punch! "Miami Beach never had its own Gay Pride," Danny shared, "and Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower wondered why. So she formed a committee." Tasked with drawing attention to an already multi-cultural and multi-faceted community, that has been known as the America's Rivera! "It's a wonderful day!" he continued. "Last year we had 30,000 people - and this year we could have 40,000!"
The theme this year is all about truth and justice for all...Superheroes! "We wanted a way to show the world who we are, and empower the community," Spring colorfully explains. "This is a really positive way of illustrating that people like this year's Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade Grand Marshall, BRAVO's own Andy Cohen, and everyday members of our community are superheroes as we fight for equality."
The weekend will be filled with several events including VIP parties on Friday launching the Pride festivities, to a pool party closing the weekend on Sunday, along with additional celebrations attended by celebrities DJ Tracy Young, Chi Chi LaRue and Latin heartthrob Elvis Crespo, but everyone is really excited about the big day!
At the Center of it All!
On Saturday April 16th, the parade will be navigating its way on Ocean Drive promptly at noon, one of the most scenic streets in the world. On one side the sprawling sun-filled beach, and on the other the beautifully restored Deco Drive which features the gloriously unparalleled architecture that made Miami Beach so picture postcard perfect! There are estimated 66 individual entries in the parade with about 30 beautifully crafted floats making their way down the parade route. The event is very family-friendly, so it'll be accessible for children as well as families, and that does not mean that it won't have the necessary eye-candy that constitutes the center of a Gay Pride Parade. There will be go-go boys and girls aplenty!
Danny did cite that one of this year's most anticipated attractions in the parade will be the Legacy Couples float which celebrates the enduring love and longevity of gay couples residing in the City of Miami Beach. "There will be 46 couples this year who have been together for more than 20 years with the oldest couple having been together 67 years." A reminder to everyone within and outside of our community that love is without measure.
Bravo to the Grand Marshall!
The parade is followed by an expo with a main stage and booths stocked full of various vendors, and with a celebrity-filled city - Miami boast resident stars from Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Rosie O'Donnell and at times Madonna, you never know who might feel inclined to drop by. This year's event Grand Marshall is no slouch himself! Since pioneering the wave of reality hits on BRAVO, TV personality Andy Cohen has been amongst one of the communities most visible and accessible personalities on the front of it all, and this year in Miami Beach he leads the charge!
"We're so happy to have Andy Cohen as our Grand Marshall!" says Spring. And Cohen won't be alone...rumor has it that he'll be tagging along with some of the cast of the newest reality-show confection, the glamorous socialites of The Real Housewives of Miami.
"I love Miami and South Beach," cheered Grand Marshall Andy Cohen.�"It's always a fun time in Miami Beach, but I was so surprised to hear it was so young. Miami Beach just seems built for Gay Pride." During the commentary, Cohen was asked about his role in redefining the spectrum of television especially producing programming that included the gay experience. "There weren't a lot of gay role-models on TV when I was growing up," he said, "and I think that when kids around the country see some of the really talented and creative gay people on BRAVO they can draw their own strength, courage and pride." Spoken like a true superhero!
So as the weather around the country begins to warm up, and I'm reminded of my youth on the shores of Miami Beach and how it colored my life and inspired my confidence and enriched my own identity, I'm proud to celebrate in spirit if not presence when the rainbow flag waves for the Third Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade! Superpowers unite!