The Largest Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Festival In Florida
Dance Tent and Non-Stop Entertainment All Day Long March 21st and 22nd 2009

Fort Lauderdale – The 32nd anniversary of Pridefest is scheduled for Saturday, and Sunday March 21 & 22, 2009 at the very popular Holiday Park/War Memorial Auditorium. Pridefest is a celebration and tribute to the LGBT community and its unique culture. The weekend-long event includes a special tent and dance floor for your dancing pleasure! with local DJ Miik (Sunday) and DJ  J. Roxx (Saturday),  Also featured are over 300 vendors, music, food, Games and Florida’s largest Aids Quilt display.

As usual, there will be non-stop entertainment both days, with an outdoor stage highlighted by national recording artist Lori Michaels & The Girls, Shelina, Howard Tonkin, Nelson Polanco and many more surprises! Official Pridefest events will be held at several of the nightclubs and venues in town starting on Friday, March 20 at Living Room Niteclub for the Official Pridefest Opening Party and Saturday March 22 at Sidelines Sports Bar and continuing through Sunday night.

The hours are Noon – 7 p.m. both days, giving our local gay clubs the opportunity to continue celebrating Pride well into the night.

Pride South Florida is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by unpaid volunteers. We aim to produce a highly professional Pride Festival that is not only economically valuable to our community to promote itself as the #1 Gay and Lesbian destination in the U.S.A., but also benefiting South Florida GLBT community organizations: Proceeds from Pridefest are distributed through a grant program each Spring.

For more information on Pridefest events, volunteering and other activities, please visit their website at www.PrideSouthFlorida.org or call the PrideLine at (954) 561-2020.
Here’s what you need to know…

When:       12:00 noon – 7:00 p.m.   Saturday, March 21st and Sunday, March 22nd

Where:      Holiday Park / War Memorial Auditorium – 730 North Federal Highway,
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Tickets:     All ticket proceeds benefit our community – See our Grants Page
$8 per person per day
$5 per Student per day (w/valid ID)

o Great DJ’s!
o Dance Tent with Dance Floor
o Food Court and Cocktails
o Outside Stage
o Fabulous Merchandise and Vendors
o GLBT Support and Education Information
o Games
o Florida’s Largest AIDS Memorial Quilt Display

From Andrew Collins, About.com

One of the world’s premier gay resort destinations, Fort Lauderdale has been transformed over the past 15 years with a beautifully redeveloped beachfront, the addition of dozens of gay resorts and bars, and a vibrant rejuvenation of its downtown area. The adjacent inland community of Wilton Manors is similarly gay-friendly, with much of metro Fort Lauderdale’s top gay bars, plus great shopping and dining. Here’s a visual tour of the region.

Stork’s Cafe & Bakery, Wilton Manors

With a pair of locations in very hip areas, Stork’s Cafe & Bakery (2505 N.E. 15th Ave., 954-567-3220) is a favorite gay hangout, coffeehouse, breakfast spot, dessert purveyor, and sandwich shop for both Fort Lauderdale’s swanky Las Olas Boulevard crowd and the GLBT bunch in Wilton Manors – pictured here is the dessert case filled with delicious cakes and treats. Both location have indoor and outdoor seating and great people-watching.

The Cabanas Guesthouse and Spa – The only Gay Men’s Resort and Spa in Wilton Manors

The Cabanas Gay Guesthouse and Spa is an all male gay guesthouse located in the heart of Wilton Manor’s, the gay area of fabulous gay Fort Lauderdale. The tropical settings of palm trees, lush foliage, secure off street parking and of course the IDEAL location make this clothing optional gay guesthouse unique and special.

Ramrod Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Just a short drive south of the main gay-nightlife action in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale’s super-butch, totally cruisy Ramrod Bar (1508 N.E. 4th Ave., 954-763-8219) is a bit less about leather these days than it might have been back in the day (you’ll even spot some clubby twinks these days), but it still draws plenty of rugged, buffed guys not only in leather gear but uniforms, Levi’s and black t-shirts, and other such gear. The crowd ranges anywhere from bearish to rock-hard-pecs, from college- to post-retirement age. But the median group in here is about 35 to 50. This is basically just your dark, industrial-chic cruise bar, where the men are men, and the porn plays on the TV monitors. There’s nothing subdued or discreet about this place, and you’ll often see guys gettin’ busy inside or out on the quite pleasant patio.

Although Ramrod is in Fort Lauderdale on N.E. 4th Avenue, this is actually just a continution of Wilton Drive as it runs south – the bar is about five-minute drive south of Georgie’s Alibi and some of the other popular gay hangouts in Wilton Manors.

Georgie’s Alibi, sports and video bar, in Wilton Manors

With additional locations in Palm Springs (as well as Azul Restaurant) and St. Petersburg, festive Georgie’s Alibi (2266 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors, 954-565-2526) anchors the tres-gay Shoppes of Wilton Manors and is one of South Florida’s most successful, popular, and fun-loving gay nightspots. It’s attractive space with a cafe serving quite good burgers, salads, and light food, dozens of video monitors showing both music and sports, a sizable patio, and a full slate of events featuring visiting entertainers and promotions. Georgie’s pulls in a mix of guys of all ages and styles, plus more than a few women, and the staff is friendly and easy-going. This is pretty much your “must” in Fort Lauderdale, if you only have the time or inclination to visit one gay bar. That being said, you can walk to a number of other bars, shops, and restaurants in the “family”-friendly commercial district of Wilton Manors.

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida

In western Fort Lauderdale just southwest of Wilton Manors, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida (1717 N. Andrews Ave., 954-463-9005) has been a fixture in the community for more than 15 years. It’s an excellent resource for learning about organizations and social groups serving the GLBT community in metro Fort Lauderdale, and it also hosts a number of events, provides health and referral services, and helps promote awareness on behalf of the community throughout South Florida.

Java Boys coffeehouse, Wilton Manors

Located at what might just be the world’s gayest strip mall, the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, Java Boys (2230 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors, 954-564-8828) is a cozy little coffeehouse and tearoom that’s pretty much always filled with local gays and lesbians – in fact, on many afternoons it’s as cruisy in here as it is a few storefronts away at Georgie’s Alibi bar. There’s plenty of room to kick back and lounge away the afternoon, and free WiFi is available.