Proving that “Pride” is a feeling expressed year-round by the South Florida LGBTQ and allied community, Miami Beach Gay Pride will again present “Soirée,” the fourth annual VIP cocktail reception to raise funds to help produce the 2017 Pride parade and festival. This year’s event, “Soirée By The Sea,” will feature music; an exclusive raffle; premium cocktails from Stoli, Herradura and Barefoot wines; hors d’oeuvres; and many surprises. A highlight of the event will be a giant check presentation from Pride to the Point Foundation. The check is symbolic of Pride’s donation from proceeds of the Angels program which Point will use toward scholarships for LGBTQ college students. Soirée will take place Friday, January 20, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, 1633 North Bayshore Drive, Miami.
“The essence of Miami Beach Gay Pride is that it’s a celebration of the LGBTQ community, for the LGBTQ community and our allies,” said Mark Fernandes, Pride’s Board Chair. “As the event’s popularity and participation have grown exponentially in just a few short years, so have the expenses to produce it. We’re committed to keeping Pride a free event for the community and fundraisers throughout the year like ‘Soirée’ will help us continue to live up to that commitment.”
Celebrity co-hosts for Soirée By The Sea are NBC6’s Roxanne Vargas and iHeart Radio’s Enrique Santos. The host committee for Soiree By The Sea includes Craig Stevens, Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco, Christine Klingspor, Edison Farrow, Cindy Brown, Billy Kemp, Luis Morera, Liebe and Seth Gadinsky, Scott Hauser, Tony Ferro, Jim Tyrrell and Roger Thomson, and Michael Gongora. Soirée By The Sea will also feature a birthday celebration for emcee Vargas of NBC6 and a special performance by Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride 2016 Kalah Mendoza.
Tickets for the event are $50 in advance and at the door, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting Miami Beach Gay Pride. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2595424.
Since its inception in 2009, Miami Beach Gay Pride has grown from a neighborhood event to an event on the global stage with A-list celebrities such as Elvis Duran as Grand Marshal in 2016 and Jordin Sparks as headliner entertainer. Mario Lopez was Grand Marshal in 2015, Gloria Estefan was Grand Marshal in 2014 and Adam Lambert performed in 2013. Attendance has grown as well. An estimated 15,000 spectators turned out for the first Pride parade in 2009; an estimated 130,000 attended the event in 2016, which attracted not only South Floridians, but also visitors from throughout the world. In addition to Parade spectators, last April’s event included more than 65 parade contingencies, 35 floats and 2,700 participants. The Pride Festival which followed featured more than 100 LGBTQ-friendly vendors and businesses, plus refreshments, two stages of entertainment, a family-friendly play area and fireworks. Recently, Miami Beach Gay Pride was named one of the “Top 100 Events of the Year” for the third year in a row by BizBash Magazine and earned the Pink Flamingo Award as favorite multi-day event for the fourth year in a row.
For 2017, Miami Beach Gay Pride will be a full, three-day weekend, April 7 – 9, and will include a Friday VIP Reception, Saturday beach party and festival, and Sunday parade and festival. Miami Beach Gay Pride is produced with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority. For more information visit www.miamibeachgaypride.com.
