Our team descended upon Miami Beach this past week to celebrate Miami Beach Pride in all of its forms, from flag raising to light ceremonies to business mixers and then, of course, Pride!
We started early that week, meeting up with George Neary and Steve Adkins, both icons and pillars in the LGBTQ Miami Beach community. Connecting with them, as well as Dave Cook of Miami Beach Pride and Dan Rios from the Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, we enjoyed the Pride Lights The Night ceremony on Lincoln Road to formally kick off Miami Beach Pride.
The next day we attended the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce reception at the Shelbourne Hotel on the beach… what an incredible night of schmoozing and reconnecting with old friends.
We took some time in between this event and the upcoming events starting on Friday, April 5th, to enjoy Miami and Miami Beach, including some over-the-top Pride events being held at the Hotel Gaythering (where we stayed for the week) and sponsored by Absolut Vodka. This hotel and bar complex has become a central piece of the LGBTQ social scene here in Miami.
That Friday night we attended their VIP Gala, where Celebrity Cruises was able to get up on stage and welcome us all to the upcoming Pride celebrations coming that weekend.
The rest of our time was now all about Pride, which was a 2-day affair starting on Saturday, April 6th. Our booth was up near the main stage, so for two full days, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Miami’s local LGBTQ community as they paraded up and down in front of (and in) our booth!
We also enjoyed seeing some of our friends there with booths on display as well, including Hotspots Media and Club Aqua Miami. The folks from #MiniPride also had a strong showing front and center at the Pride Festival entrance.
It was a wonderfully exhausting weekend had by all… we look forward to 2020!