The sun sets, the lights come on, and Wilton Manors ignites with the first ever electrifying Glow Night Parade at 8pm. Wilton Drive transforms into a shimmering spectacle of color and creativity in commemorating the 55th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots. Stonewall Parade and Street Festival will begin with a vibrant street festival at 3pm, followed by a spectacular Glow Night Parade at 8 p.m. All residents, visitors, businesses, and nonprofits are welcome to come and show their support for the LGBTQ+ community, both locally and globally.
“This event is about celebrating and supporting the LGBTQ+ community locally and across the globe,” said Mayor Scott Newton “We couldn’t be prouder to be a safe space for the more than 50,000 people who come together from all across the country and world to celebrate love, acceptance, and inclusion.”
General admission tickets for the event are currently on sale online until June 14, for $10 per person. These tickets grant access to the festival through special pre-paid lines at the main entrances. Once inside, attendees can enjoy the street festival with over 100 vendors, performances on seven stages, and, of course, the Glow Night parade. On the day of the event, general admission tickets will be available for $13 per person, payable by credit card/debit card only as this is a cashless event at the entry’s, VIP’s and lounges. Of course, all the bars and businesses will be taking cash. VIP packages and The Women’s Lounge and Black Exxcellence lounge are offered, providing access to air-conditioned tents and exclusive premium lounge experiences.
“My team and I are once again excited to produce the annual Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival, which is the largest pride event in the County, and one of the largest in the state,” said Jeff Sterling. “We are extra enthused to be working even closer with the City of Wilton Manors to make this the best Stonewall Pride ever. Both the Parade and Vendor booths only have a few spots left, so we know we will, once again, sell out. When I took over producing the festival in 2015, 20,000 people attended and now we are over 50,000 and my team and I are working to make the festival bigger and better every year.”
Stonewall Pride prioritizes creating a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community. To ensure that everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves freely, we will have security measures in place. This will include collaborating with local law enforcement for a visible presence, as well as having trained security personnel patrolling the parade route and staying up to date on any risks to our community.
“Our team starts working on the next festival in mid-summer and puts in hundreds if not thousands of hours of planning and implementation. However, all of this would not be possible without our generous sponsors who range from mom and pops to big name corporations. You can see them in the full-page ad in this magazine, on our website, or on the manor banners that will be at Pride. I urge you to support them with your dollars as they support our community.” Said Scott Holland, Vice President of Operations and Associate Publisher. (ok, ok, that’s me…LOL).
Save your spot by visiting stonewallpride.lgbt or by emailing Stonewall@Hotspots.lgbt. To learn more about the Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival in Wilton Manors, Florida visit stonewallpride.lgbt.
A message from one of our Presenting Sponsors: Jonathan Hawkins, Owner, The Crown & Anchor Provincetown and Founder, Prouder Together:
The Crown & Anchor, through our new initiative ‘Prouder Together’ is honored to be the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Stonewall Wilton Manors Pride!
Prouder Together is a collective of individuals, artists, businesses, non-profits, corporations, venues, and destinations that believe in supporting and stabilizing Pride. With numerous Pride celebrations disappearing over the last five + years, and The Crown’s dedication to the queer community at large, Prouder Together was created to both stabilize and empower a community’s ability to celebrate Pride and demonstrate the strength in solidarity and collaboration within and across the LGBTQ+ community.
The Crown’s mission and commitment to ‘honor, support, celebrate, and elevate’ far exceeds our community at the very tip of Cape Cod. We have the opportunity, and more importantly, the responsibility to not only honor and support, but to elevate and celebrate each other. We must stand up, speak out, and celebrate one another. To come together as a community and insure that those who came before us did not march, did not fight, and did not throw that first brick in vain.
