Winter Party Festival marks a major milestone of 25 years with an impressive lineup of internationally renowned DJs, a brand-new partnership with Masterbeat, and the return to the iconic Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel as host hotel and site of the biggest pool party yet.
This year’s special occasion for the internationally acclaimed Festival will be marked with an incredible roster of events, all culminating in the 25th Edition Beach Party, the event that started it all.
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As you know, Winter Party began in 1994, as a one-day event, one of the first Miami mega-dance party ever held on the beach. Over the years the Festival has grown and evolved to the weeklong extravaganza that it is today and now celebrates the unique spirit of “chosen family” among the LGBTQ community from around the globe.
“People always ask me what it is that makes Winter Party Festival different from all other events like it, and the answer is love,” said Michael Bath, Events Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. “It is a labor of love for the staff and consultants involved, and especially for the dozens of volunteers who have sustained it and allowed it to flourish over the years. And all of that culminates in an atmosphere of love among the guests who attend our events.”
The four men who founded the Winter Party Festival in 1994 conceived it as a one-day event, but it has endured for a quarter-century, brought joy to hundreds of thousands of people and raised millions of dollars for LGBTQ causes. It is an honor to be part of this legacy,” added Michael.
In addition to long-standing events like the elegant VIP Cocktail Reception and the newly reimagined ArtScape, the Festival is raising the stakes on this year’s silver anniversary by hosting two of its nighttime events at one amazing location.
Winter Party is moving its Saturday and Sunday night parties to the James L. Knight Center, a world-class multipurpose entertainment complex. Both events will be produced in partnership with Masterbeat, a group that specializes in conceptualizing and producing theme events above the ordinary to provide our festival attendees with a unique once in a lifetime experience.
“The Winter Party Planning Committee took the beginning of this season to listen to our guests and understand how we could improve their Winter Party experience,” said Stephen Seo, Winter Party Festival Chair. “We’re making huge changes, including introducing all-new Saturday and Sunday events at the James L. Knight Center. This means more space to dance and bigger production as part of our partnership with Masterbeat.”
Winter Party Festival, which has a proud tradition of bringing internationally renowned party brands from Brazil, Italy, Spain and more, is showcasing an international lineup of iconic DJs from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Spain to reflect its global appeal.
This “Party with a Purpose” has been produced by the National LGBTQ Task Force for the last 13 years, and is an important fundraiser for both the Task Force and the South Florida LGBTQ community. The organization donates a significant portion of the proceeds from Winter Party Festival each year to LGBTQ advocacy and community groups in South Florida through a grant-making process administered by the GLBT Community Projects Fund at The Miami Foundation. In July 2017, the Task Force donated a record-breaking $300,000, for a grand total of $2.7 million given back since the Task Force took on the production of Winter Party Festival.
For more information on Winter Party Festival, visit www.winterparty.com.
