Get ready for Florida’s largest Pride event – St. Pete Pride! The event attracts 80,000 members of the LGBT community who gather together in one spot for a day to celebrate their pride. This gargantuan celebration will take place on Saturday, June 25 with the theme “One Day.”
Get ready for Florida’s largest Pride event – St. Pete Pride! The event attracts 80,000 members of the LGBT community who gather together in one spot for a day to celebrate their pride. This gargantuan celebration will take place on Saturday, June 25 with the theme “One Day.”
The mission of St. Pete Pride is to to promote unity, visibility, self-esteem and a positive image of and among the LGBT community of St. Petersburg and throughout the state of Florida by way of cultural and educational programs and activities including the annual St. Pete Pride Promenade and Street Festival Event.
St. Pete Pride is celebrated the last weekend of June in honor of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969. St. Pete had its first Pride event nine years ago and within this short amount of time it has grown into one of the largest Pride events in the southeast and is the largest Pride event in the state of Florida. It started as just a few thousand native Floridians and a couple of city blocks on Central Avenue and has since become an international attraction, spanning many city blocks and attracting tens of thousands of people.
Floats from organizations, clubs, social groups and businesses will be decked out in rainbow colors for the annual St. Pete Pride Promenade starting at 9 a.m. that Saturday. The parade will feature LGBT activist and founder of Metropolitan Community Church – Rev. Troy Perry, this year’s Grand Marshal, and Alexis Mateo, 2nd runner up of this past season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Following the parade, vendors from across the state will line Central Avenue to celebrate their commitment to diversity.
In addition to a fantastic street festival and a promenade, there will be amazing entertainers working the mainstage including Sir Ari Gold, Halcyon, Karmic Tattoo, Elysian Sex Drive, and Kelly Neff.
Sir Ari Gold is an award winning Billboard Top 10 Recording Artist. He has performed all over the world and all through Florida, but this is surprisingly his first time performing in St. Pete. His latest single, “Make My Body Rock” from his fourth studio album Between the Spirit & the Flesh debuted at #1 on LOGO making him the artist with the most #1s since the networks launch in 2005. His Billboard Top 10 and #1 Sirius/XM Radio dance hit, “Where The Music Takes You” from the critically hailed Transport Systems was voted LOGO’s #1 Video of the Year and is the Grand Prize Winner (in all genres) of the 12th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.
Halcyon is Tampa-based acoustic duo Deb Hunseder and Steph Callahan. The two have been harmonizing since 1989 and have opened for national acts like John Mayer, Joan Osborne and Pat Benatar.
Karmic Tattoo is from the Tampa Bay area and are releasing their CD “More Than Skin Deep” on the night of Pride. The band consists of Lisa Noe, Pam Green and Amy Black and are known for singing original songs and covers from the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and today.
Elysian Sex Drive is a rock band based in Sarasota/St. Pete. Their music, led by singer DeLaran, is a blend of funk, rock, alternative and world beat.
Kelly Neff has been playing music throughout Florida for eight years and this will be her seventh time performing at St. Pete Pride. The guitarist/singer/songwriter is a favorite at local haunts The Hideaway and Gulfport on The Rocks.
These hot entertainers, plus the street fair, promenade and the enthusiastic crowd all make St. Pete an event that can’t be missed!
