Happy Pride to all our readers! If you’ve already attended a parade or festival, we hope you had a wonderful time. As noted below in this newsletter there are still a lot of Pride events that are upcoming. These include our hometown San Diego Pride, and Palm Springs Pride where we met many of you. Celebrations will extend well past the traditional Pride month of June. But there are many other events and festivals throughout the year that are of interest to the LGBT traveler in addition to Pride. A few events beyond pride of interest follow:

Summer

Outfest (Los Angeles, July 18 – 28): This 11-day LGBTQ film festival is the oldest in Los Angeles. Over 40,000 people attend in excess of 150 films and parties in the city that is the epicenter of the film industry. Fun for any film fan and a quick trip for our Southern California clients.

Northalsted Market Days (Chicago, August 10 – 11): This is the largest street festival in the Midwest attracting well over 200,000 to the heart of Boystown, Chicago’s gay village. There is an all weekend lineup of bands, dances, and over 200 craft vendors and food stalls. The crowd is friendly and generally shedding some clothing to enjoy the too short summer.

Disney Gay Days (Orlando, August 13 – 19): Although not an official Disney event it’s a can’t miss experience for Disney or theme park fans. Around 50,000 members of the LGBT community wear red shirts and enjoy a day at Disney World and other events held at the same time throughout the Orlando area. There is also a smaller Gay Days event at the Disneyland park in California October 4 – 6.

Southern Decadence (New Orleans, August 28 – September 2): This Labor Day weekend event probably tops New Orleans Pride in attendance and fun (and is more sexually charged). The bars are more packed than usual, there are multiple special parties, and a fun parade tops off the celebrations. This sultry event has been infamous for over 40 years.

events beyond pride

Ella Festival (Mallorca, August 30 – September 6): This lesbian event is considered one of the finest in the World. The festival features speakers, art exhibits, dinners, tours, sports, parties and days at the beach. Mallorca is always fun, and even more so when the women rule the island.

Fall and Winter

International Gay Rodeo Finals (Scottsdale, October 24 – 27): If you’re a cowboy or cowgirl, or are into cowboys or cowgirls, then this is the event for you. They like to say that this event features “dirty jeans, boots, big buckles and a touch of glitter”. It features traditional rodeo events, and some new ones, along with parties and other things to keep you busy. Scottsdale also features some amazing resorts when you need to escape the dust.

Whistler Gay Ski Week (Whistler BC, January 26 – February 2, 2020): Winter sports are the main event at this ski week, but there are also arts events, entertainment and legendary apres ski parties. Although there are several gay ski weeks, this is the big one attracting visitors from over 26 nations.

Year round

Provincetown all summer. This legendary gay resort town has special events and themed weeks throughout the year. There’s Bear Week July 13 – 21, Family Week July 27 – August 3, Carnival August 15 – 24, and Women’s Week October 14 – 20. Provincetown is always charming, cultural, and entertaining. But, the character of town does change with the theme of each week. There is always something going on that we can tell you about.

As you can see there are a lot of events out there for multiple interests. In addition to the events themselves, there is also the opportunity to explore the city that they’re in and get to see a new place (or visit an old favorite). Purple Light Vacations would love to discuss any of these events beyond pride, or other options that are out there. Drop us an email or give us a call to get started on planning a fun filled experience to your next destination.

Purple Light Vacations provides you with the knowledge, insight and personalized service to make your vacation all you want it to be at no additional cost. We help you travel in the know wherever you go. To get started, fill out this quick form or call 619.324.1444 (ext. 3).