EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR 2011 OKC PRIDE WEEKEND:

Friday, June 24:
4:00 p.m.: Festival exhibitors and vendors open
4:00 p.m.: Musical entertainment kicks off
8:00 p.m.: Opening Act performance
9:30 p.m.: The Pointer Sisters concert

Saturday, June 25:
10:00 a.m.: Festival exhibitors and vendors open, games and
festivities kick off, and musical entertainment begins. Entertainers
include local and regional acts.
9:30 p.m.: Special guest entertainer performs

Sunday, June 26:
10:00 a.m.: Festival exhibitors and vendors open
4:30 p.m.: Parade participants line-up at Memorial Park; pre-Parade
entertainment on The Strip begins
6:00 p.m.: Parade steps off

Here you can see pics of the outside performance by Circurious.  I had no idea who they would be when they came out with these alien like florescent outfits on and started doing some crazy things.  They were not a band but a talented group of artists who display extreme edges of human capability.  Truly impressive it was for a woman to climb in and out of a tennis racket and of course the male aerial performers.  You can see them live at the Southern Theatre with 15% off if you enter promo code Circ15 next weekend.

Another hot performer at the outside lesbian festival.. just kidding it was boys and lesbians who looked like Justin Bieber…and many interesting people between.  but the other act was the Paradiso Girls the girls from the UK who looked as hot as ever out in the Summer American heat.  I love the blond chicks in the group…couldn’t take my eyes off of them! They performed that hot Tequila song pictured above.

Cbus pride is so much fun.  I’m curious to know why there were less lesbians with their tits out this year I only saw a few.  They really put a lot into their pride parade and festival here in Cbus and you see so many mainstream businesses such as Time Warner Cable who had a mob of employees walking with their banner.

Where to Stay during pride in Columbus:

If you are visiting the Columbus area I recommend the Hyatt next door to the Convention center not to be confused with the other Hyatt downtown.  There is also the Hampton Inn and the Drury Inn and a Red Roof Inn within walking distance to short north area and the park.  Although next year I hear that the park events may change back to how it was a few years ago and be moved since CommFest may be going on during the same time in 2011.

There has been lots of bar changes in Columbus in the past year as we have seen the Q Bar renamed to Trafix and its seeemed to have picked up the Tradewinds crowd (same owners now).  We also hear that Axis has new owners now but we did not see any major changes.  Union and Havana were still busy on their regular nights as well.

Here are some pics from Orlando’s gay Pride 2009 event.

MISS PRIDE of ORLANDO: CONGRATULATIONS TO TYRA SANCHEZ

There were appearances from Stuart Milk  who made a surprise appearance at the screening of Milk at the Plaza Downtown Cinema.  Pride 2009 is Central Florida’s biggest GLBT-sponsored event October 8-11.

If you do not know who Erika Jayne is you better get to know her fast as she throws a damn good live performance.  She was the the Clear Channel artist of the month for August and just released a new album called Pretty Mess… a term that describes me fo sure! Erika’s new single “Give You Everything” is on its way up the Billboard dance charts after two #1 Billboard Dance Club Play hits “Roller Coaster” and “Stars”.

Erika Jayne had backup dancers and did a great performance.  I just love watching live performances with dancers especially when they are shirtless hotties.  It certainly adds flavor to the show!  I looked on her myspace and do not see a list of tour dates but hope I can see her again because she was a hit in Dallas!

Erika does not seem to be getting the publicity she deserves but the house was packed and it was hot hot hot.  Actually so hot in there I think the air conditioning was broke or they are not paying their bills over at XCuses which used to be Club One.  Shame on XCuses for throwing us into a cage that was so hot we could not breathe.. I mean really?  I have been to that club several times before and know it has never been that hot inside that building even with Paul Van Dyk playing inside.  They were charging $30 at the door (CASH ONLY) and had hardly any air circulation.  We still had a blast even though – DJ Escape did a great job and we stayed there dancing until 4am and were ready to goto bed after that to make to the Freedom Pride Parade by 1:30pm the next day.

Their was also a trailer trash show in town at the Majestic Theater.   ‘A Sordid Comedy Affair’ from the LOGO TV show Sordid Lives with Del Shores, Caroline Rhea, Rue McClanahan and Leslie Jordan.

The pride weekend had a day at Six Flags park and the parade with big companies that support us such as Whole Foods.  The weekend really started Thursday out at JR’s for Edna’s Angels drag performances then went on to the Tin Room and BJ’s then ended at Station 4 and Tin Room for dancing after the parade as some choose to hit up the T-Dance after the parade.  I think I can say most of us were too much of HOT messes to have made it past Lee Park after pride ceremonies and not have taken a break of some kind.  It was a fabulous weekend with the best part going to Erika Jayne who performed in a hot house but still looked a pretty mess!

Axis shined above anything else during the festive weekend.  They had a drag supershow featuring “Something in Red” the “Titanic” and some old movie tunes as part of the entry in the club Saturday night.  Friday night was a dog collar night and it was off the chain with hotties wearing red for taken, yellow for maybe, and green for anything goes (haha just kidding it means you are single and looking to play though).  The DJ in Axis was fabuluous.  No complaints there.

We did the Sunday Funday with lunch at Lemongrass to have their delicious soup, then it was off to Union for Showtunes, then Level for a few drinks.  We then hit up Q Bar and Slammers the lesbian bar down the street.  AWOL we hit up to check out the big patio.

Then night finally came and we went over to Havana which was packed and gave us a great drag and strip show.  After havana everyone headed over to Tradewinds which was a drunken mess that I remember nothing of.  I was happy for the closing song of pride weekend at Tradewinds to be Deborah Cox Beautiful U R.

Europride 2009 kicks off the Gay Pride festivities this year. Expect celebrations the weekend of May 30 to June 1st and the following weekend, June 5th through 7th. The Europride Parade takes place at 3:00 PM on June 6th. Live music, speakers, D.J.s and dancing are all planned for this year’s party.

Anyone in the South should consider making a road trip to Austin Pride on June 6th. An attendance of thousands is expected in Republic Park. Grrlz Will Be Boiz, Allie Rolison,  Show Me Tiger! and Holly Lorka will play this year’s Austin Pride. Slightly further North, Tulsa and Kansas City are also hosting smaller Pride celebrations on the 6th of June.

L.A. Pride takes place from June 12th to June 14th. The Dyke March kicks off the weekend and the day’s fun gives way to Erotic City each evening from 8PM to midnight. Look for eborah Cox, Expose, Terri Nunn & Berlin, and Blake Lewis to play at this year’s activities in Los Angeles.

Chicago celebrates gay pride through the month of June, culminating in a parade on June 28th.  The Chicago Pride Street Festival, also on the 28th, includes performers such as Martha Wash, Tiffany, the Windy City Choir, Frenchie Davis this year.  Other events over the course of the month include performances, ceremonies, sporting events and tastings.

New York City Pride takes place over a week in late June. The Rally (the first of the events, taking place June 20, 2009), PRIDEfest, The March, the Dance on the Pier, and Rapture on the River are all held in the West Village. The most notable of these is the March, NYC’s Pride Parade, held on Saturday, June 27.

The most famous commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, San Francisco Pride will be held the last weekend of June, the 27th and 28th. Headlining acts this year on the main stage include BoA, Solange Knowles and The Cliks. The parade will begin at 10:30 AM on June 28th.

Let me tell you a few things that I noticed over the weekend. The festival held over at the park on Classen blvd. was so boring we had to leave after five minutes. There was no art to browse over. There were hardly any booths manned after 6pm when it was open until 10pm. Talk about a watered-down event. They should have spent more time recruiting more of an artsy setting than trying to change traditional dates.

Instead of enjoying the festival we ended up just eating a nice dinner over at Iron Star that used to be Leslie’s Painted Dessert. Amazing Urban BBQ and cavatappi mac and cheese with 4 cheeses by the way! So maybe it was meant to be.

The traditional Angles T-Dance that everyone enjoys was not on Sunday because the Parade had been moved. Although some poured into Angles on Friday night to have a drink there was only a few bartenders and single lines at each bar. No one was hardly on the dancefloor because everyone was waiting for a drink.

Then we go down to the Copa later on in the night and there was a line inside the Habana Inn. The music was so low we could barely hear it. We asked the DJ to turn up the music louder he came out there and agreed with us. He seemed to be an amateur DJ so he probably was not aware that it still was not loud enough to get people on the dance floor like you normally see.

OKC Pride is so much better when they have it on Sundays. There were more parties to attend, better club nights, and the festival is funner when more people are there at once. If there is no one manning a booth at the festival there is just no reason to go. If you want to stretch it out to all hours of the day and night then you need to book a major act like Deborah Cox or Kristine W to appear that way the local bands will get more of an audience.

If pride is moved to Saturdays it will take away from the clubs revenue on the other nights. I think its always good to have parades on Sunday to make it one extra day the clubs will be busy that way we have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to drink, dance, and be happy.

OKC Pride needs to take notes from Tulsa pride. OKC really had no major sponsors or exciting floats missing the creative ones from the past it seemed bare and more like a bicycle/motorcycle/charity walk instead of a parade. Tulsa really had it going on this year from what everyone is telling me and I would go but its the same weekend as Gay Days and I aint’ missing that! I heard some of the companies that wanted to take part in the parade could not do so because the date was moved up to Friday. Starting at 7pm is just a few hours from rush hour on Friday so people from smaller towns may have had a problem getting into the city in time. The streets were not lined up as far back as years past it was much easier to park this year than in 2007.

The legendary Habana Inn was booked up months in advance for the Friday night which was a positive thing for 2008. In 2007, there were rooms available on the Sunday night of the Parade. But most people probably just left town after the parade on Sundays instead of spending the night. The Habana pool parties were fun on Saturday and Sunday which make a great alternative to the festival.

I will say the drag queens that performed outside the Park bar (Miss Wreck Room) did a great job before and after the pride parade on Friday night. That was absolutely the best part of the Parade. Let’s hope this is moved for 2009 back to Sunday and the 22nd year is flawless.

If you are looking for dates and locations for Pride events this year, take a look below at some of our suggestions. You’ll find that many cities of any size plan a parade or celebration for Pride. If your city isn’t listed, check with your local gay and lesbian support organization to see if anything is planned. Perhaps next year you could offer to assist in planning if your area isn’t having a Pride celebration this year.

Where are the biggest and best Pride events? Not surprisingly, some of the biggest and best are also the oldest. New York City is home to a major Pride parade each year, as is San Francisco. Baltimore, Boston and L.A. all host large and boisterous Pride celebrations.  Washington D.C., Chicago, and San Diego are also home to major Pride parades and festivities. Some cities offer concurrent Dyke Marches, so if this is of interest, you may want to keep it in mind if you plan to travel to take in one of the big Pride celebrations. Family themed activities are an option at some celebrations, and childcare may even be available in some cases. Do keep in mind that some of these Pride events, especially San Francisco, may fill local hotels so book well in advance if you plan to travel for Pride.

If you have never been to Pride, you may wonder what to expect. While each city’s community has its own personality and thus a unique Pride experience, there are some generalities. Las Vegas hosts a nighttime Pride Parade, while San Francisco is home to a multi day Pride celebration. Most cities of size, from St. Louis to Austin offer great and fun Pride Parades and festivities. Pride isn’t just for people looking to hook up, although that’s apt to be an option if you’re single, but is also a great way to participate in your community, celebrate LGBT history, and enjoy simply being one of the crowd for a while.

Here is a preview of the Summer Pride Parades coming your way:

• June 20 – Oklahoma City, OK
• June 21 – Providence, RI
• June 22 – Pittsburg, PA
• June 28 – Seattle, WA
• July 4-6 – Atlanta, GA
• July 5 – London, England
• July 6 -Madrid, Spain
• July 27 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Aug 3- Europride
• Aug 15 -Manchester Pride (cool website)
• Aug 23- Jersey City, NJ
• Sept 1 – New Orleans (Southern Decadence)
• Sept 13 – Rehoboth Beach, DE
• Sept 21 – Dallas, TX
• Oct 12 – Orlando, FL
• Nov 1-2 -Palm Springs, CA

Long Beach has some unique things in store for this years pride you may not have noticed. A singing competition with a $2,500 grand prize called the Pride Star 2007 takes place where an unknown talent will go home with some cash.

DJ Ray Rhodes announced on a Myspace bulletin there is a Long Beach Pride party for all ages on Sunday May 20 called “Aftermath”. That sounds fun and will be held at the modern Renaissance Hotel at 111 E. Ocean Blvd.

The Longbeachpride.com site is annoying with all the graphics and flash but after you get past that you can see there will be performances from Jennifer Hudson, The Indigo Girls, and more May 19 and 20th. It is fun to walk around to all the booths setup but you have to pay an admission it is not free like most cities. General admission to get into the Pride festival is $20, but it goes to a good cause.