SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
One of the can’t-miss social events of the year, the Pridelines Masquerade Ball promises to recreate the regal splendor and romantic feel of the canals of Venice here in South Florida. The Pridelines Masquerade Ball, a benefit for Pridelines Youth Services, will be held on Saturday, August 16, in the Country Club Ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel (1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables). The Masquerade Ball will be presented this year by Jim Tyrrell, Jay Richard DiBiaso and Roger Thomson.
The Pridelines Masquerade Ball will start at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, with butlers offering hors d’oeuvres and canapes, and a silent auction. At 8 p.m., guests will be encouraged to find their seats and partake in a formal dinner. Afterwards, there will be dancing and a presentation of the silent auction prizes will close out the evening close to 11 p.m. There will be an open bar sponsored by Grey Goose and Barefoot Wine for guests to enjoy throughout the evening.
Masquerade Ball guests will be treated to live entertainment as well, featuring a performance by Noel Leon and music by JesiMixx and DJ Sayho. Formal attire, complete with masks, the more elaborate the better, is requested. If you’re looking for a place to purchase your festival mask, consider Beatnix (1149 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach). Beatnix has partnered with Pridelines to offer a 20% discount to all people purchasing festival masks for the Pridelines Masquerade Ball. Just mention that you’re attending before you purchase your mask and the discount will be applied at the register.
Founded in 1982, Pridelines Youth Services is one of the oldest service agencies dedicated to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community and their straight allies. Their mission, as written, is “to support education and empower South Florida’s LGBTQ youth, between the ages of 14 and 24, in safe and diverse environments; to promote social change through dialogue.” Pridelines does that by providing social programs, youth enrichment activities, HIV testing, and the only drop-in youth center in Miami-Dade County. Pridelines is committed to providing safe spaces for homeless LGBTQ youth and actively provides referral services for at-risk youth dealing with suicidal thoughts, abuse and/or bullying.
Tickets can be purchased online by going to the dedicated event website at pridelinesmasquerade.com. The admission cost is $150 per person. People and corporations are welcome to host a table at the dinner. Included in the cost ($1,500) is your own separate table at the dinner, plus admission for yourself and for ten of your friends. A valet service is available for a discounted rate of $12; self-parking is also available beside the hotel complex.
The Biltmore Hotel is one of South Florida’s most beautiful properties, and if you don’t think you want to leave at the end of the night, you can go ahead and make plans for a staycation revolving around this event. It is possible to secure a low nightly rate of $159 by using the promo code 4609 when reserving your room at biltmorehotel.com.
Organizations that wish to sponsor the Pridelines Masquerade Ball can download a sponsorship form online and e-mail the completed form to Victor Diaz-Herman at
victor@pridelines.org; you can contact him by phone by calling (305) 571-9601, extension 3. As of press time, sponsors of the Pridelines Masquerade Ball include the Biltmore Hotel, Grey Goose Vodka, Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, Precision Rooting Corporation, Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables, LGBT Creative, South Beach Insurance, Andres Aguilar Designs and Events, and Projectors On the Go.
To learn more about Pridelines and the work the organization does with LGBTQ youth, visit pridelines.org. Like them on facebook at facebook.com/pridelinesyouth and follow them on twitter @pridelines.
