Giant rainbow welcome mat
Gay groups build hot alternative social scene on top of tourist boom
South Florida’s gay social calendar is getting a lot busier.
PrideFest. Parades. An art gallery opening. Circuit parties.
Within South Florida’s tourism boom, the LGBTcommunity has carved a new season. It’s all part of a giant rainbow welcome mat, with high- profile activities extending well into the spring and summer months, when many snowbirds have packed up for home.
“There is definitely an unofficial gay season in South Florida,” said Mark Haines, founder and CEO of the popular gay events listing website, jumponmarkslist.com.
Haines, who has been running “Mark’s List” for 10 years, said he’s noticed the difference this year: He’s been swamped trying to accommodate requests for event listings happening in the next few months, particu--
larlyMarch through June.
“It’s all the organizations trying to pile up fundraisers to take advantage of all the people in town,” he said. “It seems like quite a few of the organizations are getting to be more organized.”
Some events are held in the spring to tap into the wave of visitors.
“We do it in the springtime becausewewant to have events when snowbirds come down, to really convey thatwe have a diverse andwelcoming community here,” saidTony Plakas, CEOof the Compass Gay& Lesbian Community Center of Palm Beach County, which organizes the area’s PrideFest.“We really sawtherewas an opportunity to do outreach to a larger number of people.”
Ian Smith, organizer of Miami Beach Bruthaz, a gay black partyweekend, said he plans his event for July to avoid the springtime gridlock.
“Therewere so many other events going on, part of the issuewas picking a time of the year thatwasn’t so close to the other events,” Smith said.
What began in 2006 as a group gathering of 50 friends to raise awareness about coming out and HIV in the black community has grown into an annual event that draws about 600 gays and lesbians for club parties, movie and museum nights.
“Although it’s very hot, it still is Miami Beach,’’ said Smith, explaining what draws the mix of locals and vacationers to his event.
The region has become knownas a must- visit destination for gays and lesbians, community leaders say.
Last year, WiltonManors was named “top gayborhood” in the country by ManAboutWorld, a gay digital magazine. And 2012 Census numbers, released in October 2013, showed that greater Fort Lauderdale led theUnited States with the highest concentration of same- sex households.
South Florida has done a good job of self- promotion. Strong marketing campaigns aimed at gay vacationers can be traced back to 1996, when the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention& Visitors Bureau took out an ad in TheAdvocate magazine touting the city’s hotels, restaurants and beaches for gay travelers.
The marketing has since evolved. The bureau has a “Beach- on- Wheels’’ display — with sand and models tossing beach balls— that stops at majorU. S. cities promoting greater Fort Lauderdale. The tourism bureau has also folded its LGBTmessage into its more mainstream “Hello Sunny” marketing in other cities.
Broward doesn’t track howmanyLGBTtravelers visit during the spring and summer months. But overall in 2013, the countywelcomed about1.3 million LGBTtravelers who spent about $ 1.5 billion in area restaurants, hotels, attractions and shops, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention& Visitors Bureau.
“We are growing internally, and the community is growing,” said RichardGray, managing director of the LGBTmarket for the tourism bureau. “Each year, we keep seeing more and more LGBTtravelers coming. There are very few resort destinations that boast hundreds and hundreds of LGBT- owned businesses, and the community here is a very big draw.”
About four years ago, Miami Beach opened its LGBTVisitor Center to provide information on local events and art exhibits. And Discover Palm Beach County, that area’s tourism agency, also has beenworking to courtLGBTvisitors with big events. The agency is co- sponsoring the fifth annual Gay PoloWeek, this April inWellington.
The season kicks off March1- 2, with Pride Fort Lauderdale atHoliday Park, an outdoor festival and concert featuring ’ 80s pop stars including Sheena Easton, Lisa Lisa and Tiffany. Among the most popular ( and oldest) of the events, it is expected to drawabout 15,000 people, organizers say.
Next up inMarch: the Winter Party in Miami Beach, aweeklong series of beach parties and galas that benefit theLGBTcommunity, and PrideFest of the Palm Beaches, with a parade, 150 vendors and live musical performances in LakeWorth.
The Miami Beach Gay Pride parade and street festival arrives inApril. And May will include Fort Lauderdale’s BeachBearWeekend, with restaurant and bar crawls led by large, hairy gay men; and the lesbian circuit partyAqua Girl in Miami Beach.
In addition to the slate of events, the StonewallNationalMuseum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale plans to unveil a new 2,000- square- foot gallery space inWiltonManors on March 21 to drawtourists and residents alike. The opening is also good promotion for the Stonewall Summer Pride Street Festival in June.
“We are opening that week to really showthe community what our plans are for that space,” Stonewall museum executive directorDavid Jobin said. “The fact thatwe have Stonewall Pride in the dead of summer and fill the streets, I think that tells you something.”
Even local businesses not usually associated with gay festivals are looking to get in on the action.
For the first time, Sawgrass Mills is offering coupon booklets for attendees of Pride Fort Lauderdale, which attracts gays and lesbians ages 30 to 60. Festivalgoers can take their ticket stubs to the Sunrise mall and receive a coupon book with $ 500 in savings at retailers such asNautica Factory Store, Burberry and Canali.
Sawgrass, Stonewall and other groups are trying to court visitors likeNewYork City resident John Zisel.
He’s planning aMemorial Dayweekend trip to Fort Lauderdale this year for Sizzle Miami, an annual circuit party centered around theLGBTblack community.
“What a greatway to start the summer off right,” said Zisel, 34, a visual director whoworks for Italian home decor brand Frette.
Couple Jose Ivan Burgos, 44, and Angel Arroyo, 45, will be visiting South Florida fromtheir native Puerto Rico for next month’sWinter Party. They like to check out the deejays and beach festivities and to socialize with locals and fellowoutoftownfriends.
“We have friends in Los Angeles whowe plan to meet in Miami since it’s a happy medium,” Burgos said. “There’s also a lot of local people fromFlorida who go to that party, other than the tourists.”