Philly Gay Pride Rocks the City of Brotherly Love
The 2012 Philadelphia Gay Pride Festival is upon us, and this year is jam packed with parties and events. Philadelphia is an interesting city for the LGBT community when it comes to Pride because it is only one of three major festivals throughout the year, along with May's Equality Forum and October's Outfest. Still, Gay Pride is an essential event in just about every major city across the world, and many of the smaller ones as well!
Where Equality Forum focuses on bringing international civil rights to the forefront and Outfest is a celebration of National Coming Out Day, Gay Pride is that time of year where our community simply celebrates who we are and how far we have come in all parts of our lives. It is a joyous, united and essential reminder that despite our many struggles and adversities, both internal and external, that we are one community and that it is important for us to remember that.
And because everyone is in a festive mood, it can be difficult to keep track of the many different events going on over the weekend. Every sub-group has its own event and that means there is literally something for everyone! While it is nearly impossible to highlight every upcoming event, we will point out some of the most indispensible and popular ones for you to check out.
On Friday, June 8, Bruce Yelk's new weekly Friday party at Sumo Lounge will be kicking off the weekend with two DJ's and plenty of drink specials. Additionally, at 6 p.m. on Friday, iCandy will be shutting down 12th Street for the first-ever Pride Weekend Block Party with drink specials, an outside DJ, dancers and other entertainment leading into their weekly underage Frat House Friday nights.
If you are searching for more outdoor, late night events, DJ Deejay is taking over the Mosholu boat on Friday night for a special "Divas of Dance" party that will exclusively play music by Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Robyn, Missy Elliot and Mariah Carey. If you like your divas big and your summer parties outside, then this is a party you won't want to miss!
On Saturday, June 9, there are plenty of events all day to keep the Pride celebration rolling. The hugely successful annual Dyke March will kick off at Kahn Park at 3 p.m. This is an important and inspiring event that focuses solely on giving a voice to the lesbian community and serves very much as a march rather than a parade. After the march, return to the park for lesbian performers and free water ice (remember that hydration is a must this weekend!).
Another fantastic event this Saturday is William Way Center's Homecoming event. This event comes with a price tag of $50 for non-members, $45 for members, or $35 for students, and serves as a fundraiser for the Center. With this price tag you receive a Mediterranean buffet, summer-themed drink open bar and a slew of performances from the Dollhouse Review, IdiosynCrazy dance troupe, and many more. The event runs from 6-10:30 p.m., and is a perfect way to start your Saturday night!
Serving as an official afterparty for both of these events is Stimulus' June Arouse party at Adesso Nightclub, with discounted cover charge for anyone coming from either the Dyke March or Homecoming. If you want more of a traditional Saturday night, then every other bar in Philly's Gayborhood is sure to be packed and in full force for Pride weekend-but don't forget that the real celebration begins the next morning!
The 2012 Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade and Festival
Sunday June 10 is, of course, the 2012 Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade, with headliner Wendy Williams leading the way. Additionally, this year's Pride has the honor of having Grand Marshals Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, and our first openly-gay legislator Brian Sims overseeing the ceremony.
While having Sims elected was a great triumph for the Philadelphia LGBT community, it is wonderful to see the Parade recognize the work that allies like Brown have been a part of. Being an essential sponsor and force behind Philadelphia's "Equal Benefits Bill" and her latest victory for a resolution calling on SEPTA to end its policy of using gender stickers, Brown has been a staunch ally and deserves the recognition being given to her this year.
This year's Pride Festival will kick off at noon at 13th & Locust and end at Penn's Landing where there will be additional festivities and entertainment. If after the Parade you want to keep your Pride weekend going then look no further than a return to the gayborhood.
For the ladies, Stimulus is following up their Arouse party from the night before with a massive post-game event, named simply "The Ultimate Pride Party," at Voyeur from 4 p.m. until midnight. The men can make their way over to Mad River from 1-4 p.m. for Bruce Yelk's annual Triumphant Pride Party, packed with drink specials, music and entertainment. From there, the gayborhood bars such as Woody's and iCandy will be hosting post-Pride events all through the night for those who want to maximize their Pride weekends.
So, this Gay Pride weekend make sure to be safe, have fun and have pride in our strong community and everything we have accomplished and will continue to work for. See you out there!
For more info, visit www.phillypride.org/