The 41st annual (and second annual on Fort Lauderdale Beach South) Fort Lauderdale Pride Festival is rolling into town this weekend.
Founded in 1977, the Mission Statement of Greater Fort Lauderdale Pride, Inc. is to educate the community by invoking, promoting, and celebrating lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender pride.
The festival, which takes place on Sunday, Feb. 11th, will do just that, celebrating with world renowned entertainers, local and national exhibitors, a delicious food court and, of course, the world-class beaches of Fort Lauderdale!
Additionally, 2018 will also bring Pride Fort Lauderdale's most diverse Pride ever including a:
- Family area
- Sporting area
- History of Pride educational area
- Senior Chill Zone
- Sober Zone
- VIP area
Entertainment will be headlined by Grammy Award winner Estelle, and include performances by Charo, Laith Ashley, Carmen Carrera, Jamie Wilson, and more. For a full list of scheduled entertainers, click here.
President Miik Martorell says that it's the festival-goers that make the event so special and successful. "The biggest part is the amount of people that show up. We had 40,000 people last year and we were just totally blown away," Martorell told WIOD. "And this year, estimates are between 50 and 60,000 people coming to this free event... to celebrate, basically, love this weekend."
You can hear everything Martorell had to say about this weekend's festival, here:
The festivities take place this Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. on Fort Lauderdale Beach at 1100 Sea Breeze Blvd. Pride Fort Lauderdale is a FREE event for all attendees. For more information, click here.