After three years of successful Pride on the Beach festivities, including the first LGBTQ+ parade down A1A last year, the organizers of the event recently announced that next year’s event, taking place from April 21 through 26, 2020 will be titled “Pride of the Americas” and is being planned and hosted by Pride Fort Lauderdale with support from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The event is expected to bring more than 350,000 visitors from Alaska to Argentina to Broward County. The full program of planned events goes beyond the typical parade, festival and parties that are a part of traditional Pride festivals. Activities will include seminars and educational programs, a performing arts festival, health care symposium, business, conference and service projects.
“We felt it was important that we offer a wide variety of experiences for the diverse guests we’re expecting,” said Miik Martorell, president of Pride Fort Lauderdale. “Not only will we welcome visitors from more than 30 countries, but those people will represent every segment of LGBTQ+ community. We’re very fortunate to have many local and national partners to create world class programming.”
Pride Fort Lauderdale is teaming up with SAGE, the national organization that represents the interests and needs of LGBTQ+ seniors, on “Spotlight on Seniors will present a conference on Tuesday, April 21. Throughout the week, an LGBTQ+ arts festival will include art exhibitions, daily concerts and theatrical performances at venues throughout the region.
In addition to daily parties and social events, Pride of the Americas will conclude with a parade on A1A planned for Saturday morning, April 25, followed by a free beach festival at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, April26.
“There are still opportunities for local organizations and residents to become involved,” concluded Martorell. “It will also take a small army of volunteers to pull this off, but we’re very excited and, most importantly, our community is excited.”
Each of the Pride of the Americas events will not only explore the needs of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. and Canada, but also those living in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“Just 40 miles from our shores, many LGBTQ+ people still live in fear, with few legal protections and often facing violence or worse, imprisonment,” Martorell added. “It was important that we use this opportunity to raise awareness about their plight and work together to effect meaningful change.”
Greater Fort Lauderdale Pride also recently awarded ten $1,000 community grants funded from the proceeds of the 2019 festival, last February. Local nonprofit organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community are eligible to receive the grants. In addition to $10,000 in community grants, Pride Fort Lauderdale had already awarded $1,800 in working grants to organizations that assisted with the festival in February and $6,000 to schools and arts organizations that performed in the first Pride Fort Lauderdale parade on SR A1A on Saturday, Feb. 23. Including the most recent grants, Pride Fort Lauderdale has awarded nearly $43,000 to community organizations since 2017.
“Pride is not only about celebrating our community, but also giving back,” said Pride Fort Lauderdale president Martorell. “While it is satisfying to see our year-long efforts result in a successful festival, it’s even better to be able to share the proceeds with others who are also making a difference year-round in our community.”
For more information about Pride of the Americas 2020 go to
PrideOfTheAmericas.org or Facebook.com/PrideOfAmericas.
