Recording megastar and gay icon Kristine W, ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the greatest dance club artists off all time, will headline a spectacular concert and dance party on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sept. 4.
The concert is one of more than a dozen events comprising Bears In Lauderdale, a week-long celebration of the Bear community which debuts in Wilton Manors and Fort Lauderdale this Sept. 1-6. The week’s activities include a slew of parties at Wilton Manors’ hottest bars and nightclubs including a Furball Underwear Party, the first Mr. Lauderdale Bear contest, and a Bear and Leather Ball.
“Kristine W is going to tear the house down and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Chuck King, one of the event organizers. “Together with internationally-acclaimed DJ Dan DeLeon and DJ Rentboy, this Labor Day Weekend concert is not to be missed!” Tickets are on sale at wmeg.org/bears.
Born and raised in Pasco, Washington, Kristine W found early success competing in pageants and talent contests, winning Miss Washington and a preliminary swimsuit award as well as a NFT award in the Miss America pageant.
Today, she is one of the most popular dance club artists of all time, with 17 #1s to date on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. She is currently listed among Billboard magazine’s 8 Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists, and she was ranked number three in Billboard’s Top Dance Artists of the Decade. She is especially popular in the gay community and is an outspoken supporter of LGBT rights, frequently performing at pride rallies and charity events for pro-LGBT organizations throughout the U.S.
After competing in Miss America, Kristine W moved to Las Vegas, where she regularly performed at the Las Vegas Hilton and won “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for several years. Kristine W was recognized by the city of Las Vegas for her record-breaking number of shows, which led to June 28 being officially designated as Kristine W Day by the state of Nevada. Those performances led to her first record deal and subsequent debut single, “Feel What You Want”, marking the singer’s first of 17 #1s on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Kristine W is also tied for third place with Beyoncé for the most consecutive #1 hits with nine. In addition, her album The Power of Music is one of only three albums in the history of the chart to produce at least seven No. 1s from one album (Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream [2010] also had seven, and Rihanna’s Anti [2016] had eight).
“Greater Fort Lauderdale is the LGBT+ capital of Florida, and we are proud to have a thriving resident bear community that is ready to welcome bears of all ages to our authentic and inclusive paradise, said Richard Gray, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Visit Lauderdale, the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We have the wonderful possibility of this becoming one of the largest bear events in the world and are thrilled for all bears to experience first-hand what makes Greater Fort Lauderdale so inclusive and so very special.”
Bears In Lauderdale is produced by WMEG Community Marketing and Events in collaboration with the Bear Community, promoters Chuck and Greg King, Eagle Bar Wilton Manors, Hotspots magazine, Happening Out Television, Leatherwerks and more than two dozen sponsors and business partners.
For more information and tickets, visit wmeg.org/bears.