If there was ever a sleeping gay giant in the United States, you would find him (or her...or hir!) at the Denver PrideFest, which takes place on the weekend of June 27-28. The 34th annual celebration will see an attendence of over 250,000 people, which includes the estimated 100,000 parade attendees - now that's nothing to turn your nose up at.
Although the week leading up to PrideFest has a few events, Saturday will kick off (spike off?) bright and early with an all-day volleyball tournament. Organized by the Colorada Gay Volleyball Association, the first game starts at 8 a.m. Other speciality events include the Denver Dyke March, taking place for the first time ever! Starting at 3 p.m. at Charlies, the march down Colfax will finish off with "women-focused entertainment" on two stages at Civic Center Park. The all-day stage lineup includes the Denver Women's Chorus, the Drag Kingz of Transcend, singer/songwriter Jill Brzezicki, the Shelvis & Dancehall Girlz Show, and more.
Saturday's celebrations also includes the Latino stage located at the corner of Colfax and Banno, with dance instruction, performances by Ballet Folklorico and haunting Mariachi music by Antonio Reyna. A day for family celebration, the Civic Center Park will have all sorts of entertainment for all ages, food and beverage stands, retail and commercial booths, and even a Dogs in Drag Parade (seriously!). For the main stage, SIRIUS radio personality Romain Paterson emcees,
However Sunday's parade, which expects up to 100,000 attendees, will begin at 10 a.m. at Cheesman Park and heads towards a second day of festivities at the Civic Center Park. The theme is "Worldwide Pride...Connect the Dots," which spreads awareness of pride events all over the globe: Denver's links up with Phillipino city Baguio. The after party, which has hosted big acts like Tiffany and Martha Wash in the past, will feature Cleopatra Jones, RuPaul's Drag Race finalist Nina Flowers, and several stage events featuring gay icon Matthew Rush.
If you're itching to see Colorado during the hot season, Denver Pride recommends three properties to rest your head: the Curtis Hotel and the Magnolia Hotel both offer special $99 a night rates for the events, just ask for the special PrideFest rate. There's also a Residence Inn that offers a special rate. Wake the sleeping giant, cause he (she? zee?) will want to party with the massive crowd at one of the United States' top ten Pride Celebrations!
Photos Courtesy of Denver Gay Pride
Story by Joseph Alexiou
Originally published on our sister site GPS.OutTraveler.com
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