GayDayS is the event that started it all 28 years ago, when thousands of queers descended on Walt Disney World on the first Saturday in June, decked out in red shirts for visibility.
Today, that one Saturday has grown into almost a full week of events, and many find GayDayS provides the ideal home base for all their Orlando shenanigans. The cocktail-fortified pool parties at the host hotel run from 10am to the wee hours every day, GayDayS practically sets the itinerary for the entire gay gaggle’s migration from theme park to theme park, and diversity is built right into a program that features twice-a-day bear pool parties, pageants (drag and leather), bingo, diva impersonators, and a massive LGBT expo.
Host Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld (10100 International Dr, Orlando)
Welcome & Information Booth
Main Lobby. Tue 11am–6pm, Wed 10am–8pm, Thu–Sat 9am–9pm, Sun 9am–5pm.
GayDayS ambassadors will greet you and answer any questions you may have. Don’t leave without your free GayDayS 2018 Welcome Bag.
The place to buy tickets and exclusive merch, including the #RedShirtDays official GayDayS 2018 red shirt. Purchase individual tickets and pool-party bands or spring for a Platinum Pass ($500) or 3-, 4-, or 5-Day Pool Party Passes ($105–$200, $70–$140 in advance). For advance tix and host hotel information: GayDays.com.
GayDays Expo
Off Main Lobby. Thu 11am–7pm, Fri–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–4pm.
Businesses from all over the world showcase a variety of goods and services. Your host, Harmony Breeze, Miss GayDayS 2014, keeps the giveaways and free-prize raffles coming.
Those Legendary Pool Parties
Free for hotel guests. Tix (except Wednesday): Daytime $25 advance/$35 at event; Evening $35/$45.
Wednesday, May 30
Main Bayou Pool
Daytime: 12pm–5pm. $10/$15. DJ Sean Michael.
Evening: 5pm–3am. $15/$20. DJ Chris Tavi (5–10), DJ Rob Moore (10–3).
Thursday, May 31
Main Bayou Pool: Thirsty Thursday
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Aracely Manterola (10–4), DJ Sean Michael (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–3am. DJ Sean Michael (5–10), DJ Chris Adams (10–3).
Bear Bayou Pool
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Chris Tavi (10–4), DJ Mike James (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–2am. DJ Mike James (5–10), DJ DeGiacinto (10–2).
Friday, June 1
Main Bayou Pool: Splash!
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Chomper (10–4), DJ Cajjmere Wray (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–3am. DJ Cajjmere Wray (5–10), DJ DeGiacinto (10–3).
Bear Bayou Pool: Kona Luau
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Robert Scott (10–4), DJ Barney Philly (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–2am. DJ Barney Philly (5–10), Pumpkin Spice (10–2).
Saturday, June 2
Main Bayou Pool: Glow Pop
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Sushiman (10–4), DJ Cindel (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–3am. DJ Cindel (5–10), DJ Chi Chi LaRue (10–3).
Bear Bayou Pool
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Sinna-G (10–4), DJ Chomper (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–2am. DJ Chomper (5–10), DJ Aracely Manterola (10–2).
Sunday, June 3
Main Bayou Pool: Tea Time
Daytime: 10am–5pm. Pumpkin Spice (10–4), DJ Dani Toro (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–3am. DJ Dani Toro (5–10), DJ Joe Ross (10–3).
Bear Bayou Pool
Daytime: 10am–5pm. DJ Sinna-G (10–4), DJ CChris Adams (4–5).
Evening: 5pm–2am. DJ Chris Adams (5–10), DJ Barney Philly (10–2).
Extra-Special GayDayS Events
The Voodoo Showroom is located inside the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld (10100 International Dr).
TUESDAY, MAY 29
Official GayDayS Kick-off Party
6:30pm–10pm. Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show (8267 International Dr). $10 advance/$20, VIP $50/$75.
Hosted by Coco Montrese of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 2 and Steve Erics, GayDayS Creative Director of Entertainment.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30
GayDayS Fabulous Drag Bingo!
7:15pm–9:15pm. Voodoo Showroom. $15 advance/$25.
An exciting evening of bingo filled with high-energy performances and DIVA-rated prizes. Hosted by Voodoo Queen Roxy Brooks, who promises special guest appearances.
THURSDAY, MAY 31
Taste of GayDayS
6pm–10pm. Voodoo Showroom. $40 advance/$50.
Sample nibbly bits from local restaurants as you sip delightful beverages and enjoy live entertainment and the musical stylings of DJ Lu-S.
Who will have you under their special GayDayS spell in 2018? Watch these queens bewitch and beguile until only one remains!
SATURDAY, JUNE 2
GayDayS XXX Porn Bingo
1pm–3pm. Voodoo Showroom. $25 advance/$35.
Play some of the most exhilarating bingo ever in the exxxtremely fine company of Chi Chi LaRue and adult film stars Seth Santoro, Woody Fox, and Wesley Woods.
ICONS at GayDayS
7:30pm–9pm. Voodoo Showroom. $20 advance/$30.
Central Florida’s Diamond Divas — Summer Holiday, Twila Holiday, Viktoria D. Sommers, Dede Taylor, and Cherilyn Matthews — present ICONS, a high-energy illusion production that pays tribute to legends including Whitney, Cher, Bette, Barbra, Rihanna, Adele and more.
SUNDAY, JUNE 3
Mr. GayDayS Leather Competition
2:30pm–5pm. Voodoo Showroom. $25 advance/$35.
Who will succeed Chip Wegner, Mr. GayDayS Leather 2017? Back for a second year, this event is an educational and entertaining afternoon of men and leather you won’t want to miss.
Your Theme Park Itinerary
THURSDAY, MAY 31
9am–9pm. Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom
A zoological theme park covering 580 acres. Check out the all-new Rivers of Light and Pandora: The World of Avatar. Go on a safari, meet your favorite film characters, and thrill to the rides.
9am–6pm. SeaWorld
Enjoy live shows, free concerts, and, of course, up-close encounters with animals. Rollercoaster fiends should be sure to check out Mako.
FRIDAY, JUNE 1
9am–9:30pm. Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios
You’re a star, baby! Check out the all-new Star Wars Launch Bay as well as classic attractions like Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage and The Tower of Terror.
9am–10pm. Islands of Adventure.
A park full of thrills and ways to cool down. Ride the all-new Skull Island: Reign of Kong, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, or visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
SATURDAY, JUNE 2
9am–10pm. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
From Thunder Mountain to Space Mountain, this park continues to thrill guests young and old. Check out new attractions and shows: Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, The Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train, and Muppets Present: Great Moments in American History. The spellbinding finale is the all-new fireworks show, Happily Ever After.
9am–9pm. Universal Studios Florida.
Go behind the scenes — or beyond the screen — and leap right into the action of your favorite movies. Battle alongside Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in Transformers: The Ride—3D, take The Simpsons Ride through Springfield, and join Gru and his Minions at Minion Mayhem!
SUNDAY, JUNE 3
9am–9pm. Walt Disney World’s EPCOT
Enjoy the exciting rides of Future World; Test Track and Mission: Space, and the newly re-imagined Soarin’! Or just drink your way around the globe at the World Showcase.
9am–5pm. Discovery Cove
Get your wetsuit ready… and dive into paradise! Discovery Cove offers an intimate, resort-style experience. Interact with dolphins, snorkel with rays, and feed exotic birds. Or just take it easy, grab a bite, and lounge by the tropical river.
One Magical Weekend: The Circuit Experience
If GayDayS, with its emphasis on hitting the parks and hanging by the pool, is the beating heart of Gay Disney week in Orlando, One Magical Weekend (OMW) is the quintessential circuit-party experience transplanted into Walt Disney World itself. The location has its perks, including shuttles to all events and bus service to all the Walt Disney World Resorts theme parks.
Like GayDayS, OMW has its own host hotel and daily pool parties, of course, as well as a Gay Biz Expo. But the event’s calling cards are its round-the-clock schedule and its showpiece mega-parties. OMW owns the late, late time slot with its nightly Cadabra after-hours parties, and #Riptide, an EDM-scored hijacking of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark, takes the pool party experience to its logical — and spectacular — extreme.
OMW Home Base
Host Hotel
B Resort & Spa (1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista)
Gay Biz Expo
B Resort & Spa. Fri–Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 11am–2pm.
If shopping is on your One Magical Weekend agenda, don’t miss the Gay Biz Expo & Welcome Center where you can purchase tickets to all of your OMW events for the weekend.
Welcome & Ticket Center
Inside the Gay Biz Expo. For advance tix and host hotel information: OneMagicalWeekend.com.
The Therapy Pool Parties
B Resort & Spa (1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista). Weekend Pass: $70.
For its signature event, OMW takes over the entire 52-acre waterpark so that 6,000 guests can dance under the stars. This year the Crush ’n’ Gusher water-coaster stays open all night, and you can board the Miss Adventure Falls treasure raft — the longest ride in the history of the Disney waterparks — if you feel the need to get away from it all.
Saturday, June 2
RED Volume III: #STRUT
9pm–2am. House of Blues at Disney Springs. $71/$142 VIP.
DJs Ivan Gomez and Nacho Chapado
The dress code is red, and strut is the attitude. What more do you need to know?
Cadabra After Hours
Old Town — Sun on the Beach Nightclub (5770 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee). Weekend Pass: $191.
Friday night, June 1
2am–8am. $71.
DJ Alyson Calagna
Saturday night, June 2
2am–8am, $71.
DJ Alex Acosta
Sunday night, June 3
Midnight–6am. $71.
DJs Paulo and Alex Ramos
The Best of the Rest: Orlando’s Finest
We’ve dedicated a lot of ink to two major gay events that helicopter into Mousetown (fabulously!) for one week a year, but Orlando is an LGBT hotspot with a vibrant scene all year ’round. When the rainbow hordes descend on the city each June, local bars and clubs are fully committed to the celebration. They step right up with their own nightly extravaganzas. Here are just a few of this year’s top offerings, where you can get a taste of the authentic (monorail-free!) Orlando.
Stonewall
741 W Church St, Orlando
Saturday, June 2
Amor
Doors 9pm, show @ midnight. 21+, valet parking.
Stonewall’s weekly upscale Latin extravaganza gets supercharged on the weekend’s biggest night. The midnight show features a bevy of local divas — Nouba Soleil, Lisa Lane, Rochelle Mon Cheri, Angelica Sanchez, Yeisa, and Aaliyah Valentino — plus a very special appearance by the one-and-only Puerto Rican bombshell, Iris Chacón.
Southern Nights
375 S Bumby Ave, Orlando
Thursday, May 31
Southern Nights goes all in on drag for its Days of Gays long weekend, and kicking things off a day early are Axel Andrews, Roxxxy Andrews, Kai’ja Adonis, and MR MS Adrien.
Friday, June 1
It’s Kitana Gemini’s birthday, so you know you better show up with a gift! Helping Kitana get the party started: Roxxxy Andrews, Maya Andrews, Tasha Long, Sassy Devine, and Tasha Royale Sherrington.
Saturday, June 2
On the busiest night of the weekend, Baby Blue and Ivy Les Vixens somehow managed to snag the stage all for themselves. Is it a victory of quality over quantity? You be the judge.
Parliament House
410 N Orange Blossom Tr, Orlando.
Thursday, May 31
PI@PH
8pm–3am. Free before 11.
Miami favorite DJ Kidd Madonny kicks off the weekend at this legendary Orlando entertainment complex. You can also expect performances by Michelle du Soleil and The Minx and Company, a Latin Diva Revue, and a countdown at midnight. Meanwhile, down in in the Footlight Theater, Orlando’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence present A Night of Perpetual Comedy at 10pm — that’s all the improve you can eat for $15.
Friday, June 1
8pm–3am. $15 advance/$20 door/$40 VIP.
Get there early tonight because RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Alaska Thunderfuck is in the house for an a-live performance. Kidd Madonny is back on the wheels of steel once more, this time with an assist from resident DJs Scott Robert and Brianna.
Saturday, June 2
8pm–3am. $20 advance/$30 door/$50 VIP. How did you get here? Nobody’s supposed to be here! Nobody except the inimitable Deborah Cox, that is. Deb will be performing her greatest hits. Will she wear her hair in a ponytail? I’s guess… absolutely not! Meanwhile, it’s Brianna back on the decks, as is Kidd Madonny, who must have taken a room for the weekend.
Sunday, June 3
8pm–3am. Free before 6pm/$20 after/$50 VIP.
It’s a foam party tonight, so maybe don’t wear your best shoes. Only problem is, there’s also a Drag Race Season 10 trifecta tonight: Aquaria, The Vixen, and Miz Cracker will all be in da hizzouse. And you know at least one of them is gonna read you for that sad, second-string footwear. Brianna and Madonny supply the tunes.
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