This year’s Florida Leather & Fetish Pride Weekend will be held at the Flamingo Resort in St. Petersburg from November 8 to November 10. Originally called Tampa Bay Leather & Fetish Pride, the different organizations across Florida combined their resources to put together one definitive, united event, because as the organization’s leaders said, the event “…is not just about the Tampa Bay area, it is about all of us from all over the State of Florida.”
This year, organizers expect nearly 4,000 spectators and partygoers to be at the Flamingo for the weekend, up from the 2,000 that attended last year. While things are gradually changing during the transition to a Florida-wide event, certain events will continue to be held during the Leather & Fetish Pride Weekend, such as the International Puppy and the Mr. Tampa Bay Rubber pageants.
This year, focal points of the Leather & Fetish Pride Weekend are the vendors and demos. Many vendors from across Florida and all over the country will be on hand to sell the most sophisticated, top-of-the-line sensual devices. Advertised demos for 2013 include “Puppy 101” with PapaWoof Roth, where one can ask questions and learn about the various subcultures that comprise the larger leather and fetish umbrella.
The International Puppy Club supervises the International Puppy Contest, which will be held on Saturday. What is a human puppy, some may wonder? It’s a person who likes to act (or even dress) like a puppy, being the submissive in a “dom/sub” relationship to their “owner.” Human puppies like to act like actual puppies, doing things for fun that they might do, like being petted by humans or chasing after a ball. The winner will receive a cash prize, a medallion, a patch for their leather, and other assorted prizes. There will also be a “Best in Show” award given to the person who best exemplifies the “pup spirit” in and out of puppy gear.
The Mr. Tampa Bay Rubber pageant will also be held on Saturday, with the assistance of the Tampa Leather Club. Don’t forget about the nighttime party that will also be organized by the Tampa Leather Club, happening the same night. There will be 50/50 raffles going on that benefit Florida Leather & Fetish Pride and future celebrations.
The sponsors of the Florida Leather & Fetish Pride Weekend are Puppy Graphics and the Tampa Leather Club. For more information on the weekend at the Flamingo Resort and the events that coincide with it, you can go to www.floridaleathernfetishpride.com, or e-mail president Joseph Mastrapasqua at joe@flafp.com.
