Winter Party Festival 2025 Makes a Splashy Return to Miami Beach for its 32nd Anniversary

January 12, 2025

The National LGBTQ Task Force’s Winter Party Festival 2025 makes a splashy return to Miami Beach for its 32nd anniversary from February 26 – March 4, 2025. Winter Party is an annual dance and music festival featuring a week-long series of events benefiting local and national LGBTQ+ organizations. This year’s “Dance is Revolution” themed celebration features an eclectic mix of music, community programming, and entertainment that embodies the mantra, “Live free. Play hard. Give back.”

“For those who’ve joined us before, you know this week-long symphony of music and movement is part of what unites us to celebrate, connect, and honor the joy that fuels our strength,” Kierra Johnson, President of the National LGBTQ Task Force, said in a statement. “We would be remiss not to highlight why the Winter Party Festival remains a thriving cornerstone of queer culture as one of the last remaining community owned circuit parties. Part of the answer lies in the very ground we gather upon. Florida — a state where hateful, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is rampant and harmful policies are piloted — has become a testing ground for authoritarian strategies designed to suppress our existence. Historically, the policies that take root here are then exported to harm other communities.”

The Winter Party Festival attracts over 10,000 attendees from around the globe each year. This year, the festival will feature more than 12 exciting events spread across 10 world-class venues in iconic Miami and Miami Beach — renowned for their vibrant energy and celebration. Guests will be treated to electrifying performances by international DJs including Chus, Karsten Sollors, Tom Stephen and more.

“With over 30 years of history raising critical funds for our community, this year’s festival is our most exciting to date,” Jason Hellinger, Winter Party Festival Co-Chair, said in a statement. “We’re bringing a world class DJ roster that includes the international talent you’ve come to expect, as well as fresh faces to shake up our lineup and continue evolving the sound of the festival. We want all of our guests to feel the love our volunteers put into the festival while dancing alongside your chosen family. Prepare for a dance revolution.”

Founded in 1994, Winter Party provides a safe haven for the LGBTQ and allied communities to celebrate queer joy and live freely. The National LGBTQ Task Force donates a significant portion of the proceeds raised at Winter Party and its sister event, the National LGBTQ Task Force Gala, to like-minded community advocacy groups in South Florida through the LGBTQ+ Equity Fund, a philanthropic collaboration between the Task Force, Our Fund Foundation, and The Miami Foundation. Since 2005, the Task Force has given back more than $3.8 million and supported over 100 community organizations in South Florida; the Task Force also directly funds social justice causes locally and nationally.

Guests are encouraged to reserve tickets to this year’s events, all designed to capture the energetic spirit that is Winter Party.

NOTEWORTHY TO THIS YEAR’S WINTER PARTY FESTIVAL:

– Health partners Avita Pharmacy and Prevention 305 present the popular (and free!) community-building and networking event LOCALIZE on Thursday, Feb.27.

– For Ignite on Thursday, Feb. 27, Winter Party will partner with Midnight Service— event producers whose ethos is rooted in the ‘religious experience’ of dancing to good music. The night will feature DJ Dangerous Rose.

– The National LGBTQ Task Force will honor community treasure Lisa Mercado at the VIP Cocktail Reception on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Standard Miami Beach. Mercado’s contributions have included being the only female co-chair of Winter Party Festival, working tirelessly for over a decade as a Task Force staff member, and serving as a board member and staff member of Pridelines.

– The first of Winter Party’s signature daytime events Under One Sun will be held at the Sagamore pool on Saturday, March 1 with DJs Dawson and Deanne. This will be the first time this beloved event has been held at a pool since 2018.

– Winter Party’s premier celebration on the sun-kissed sands of Miami Beach, Beach Party, returns with DJs Micky Friedmann and Erik Vilar on Sunday, March 2. For the second year, the entrance to this year’s Beach Party will be at 10th Street, two blocks south of its traditional home.

The 32nd annual Winter Party Festival is made possible with support from the Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority, Miami-Dade County Tourism Development Council, and many additional sponsors and partners listed here. Media sponsors include Edge Media, equalpride, Hotspots Happening Out, Boi Magazine, Funqtion, Get Out! Magazine and more.