Three dance divas save the best for last in a jam-packed weekend. The Stonewall Summer Pride weekend event is back for its 13th year in Wilton Manors. The festivities start with a parade and special guest on Saturday, June 22 . . .
The Stonewall Summer Pride weekend event is back for its 13th year in Wilton Manors. The festivities start with a parade and special guest on Saturday, June 22, and a street festival and concert on Sunday, June 23. This is the first year that Stonewall Summer Pride has been extended to two days of events and fun.
Presented by the Rainbow Business Coalition of Greater Fort Lauderdale (RBC) and the City of Wilton Manors, Stonewall Summer Pride has been a fixture in Broward County since shortly after Pride South Florida decided to move their event from June to April back in 1999. Feeling the need to commemorate the events of the Stonewall riots of June 1969, a group of people developed the plan for Stonewall Summer Pride and a new yearly event, this one staying in June, was born.
This year’s Twilight Parade, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. that Saturday, will follow a route of Wilton Drive from 20th Street to Five Points at Dixie Highway. For people who want to take a load off, there will also be bleacher seating opportunities for you to rest and watch the parade every so often along the route. The grand marshal of the parade will be Craig Stevens, news anchor at south Florida Fox affiliate WSVN, adjunct professor at Barry College, and member of the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Miami-Dade County.
After the parade, a special guest awaits the revelers on the main stage at the intersection of Wilton Drive and NE 6th Avenue. Renowned Miami DJ Kidd Madonny will be on hand to mix some hot jams while everyone enjoys a laser light show.
On Sunday, the same length of Wilton Drive will be shut down starting at 3 p.m. and for the next 12 hours, more than 175 vendors will be set up in an open-air marketplace to accommodate all of the attendees. In addition, stores along the Drive will be open and some are expected to offer some great discounts. Many food vendors will also be open for business and will be selling many comfort food favorites, such as sandwiches, pizza and barbecue.
This year there will be no shortage of people attending, as RBC and the City of Wilton Manors anticipate that as many as 30,000 will be attending the weekend’s festivities, with a good portion expected specifically for Sunday’s street festival. The festival will be “family-friendly” in more ways than one with a Kid’s Zone set up with activities and games for children.
The main concert starts at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday on the main stage. A trio of dance divas will be performing their greatest hits to put smiles on your faces.
First there’s Amber, straight from Germany, best known for her 1996 hit “This is Your Night,” which charted in the Top 25 in the United States and has become a ’90s classic Eurodance staple. Then there’s CeCe Peniston, known the world over for her 1991 hit “Finally,” and a strong repertoire that includes eight Top 10 dance club hits. Finally there is Kristine W, who has racked up sixteen #1 dance club hits, more than Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson! She’s been a chart fixture since 1995 and has performed regular shows in Las Vegas, New York City, and toured all over the world.
This is the very first time that Stonewall Summer Pride has had three equal headlining performers, as well as so many other events and so much time to celebrate pride, so have as much fun as you can and remember to have energy for both days!
