Miami Beach Pride Invites Local Artists and Entertainers To Showcase Talents

Miami Beach Pride announced three new activations celebrating South Florida's diverse and creative LGBTQ+ community: The Queer Art Pop-Up Showcase, the Miami Beach Pride Ball and the Miami Beach Pride Community Stage.

The Queer Art Pop-Up Showcase takes place on March 30 and will feature works by local artists dedicated to sharing LGBTQ+ perspectives. The showcase, presented by Trulieve, aims to educate guests and inspire conversations about queerness in an accessible and creative manner. Local artists are encouraged to submit details about their works to Miami Beach Pride for consideration.

The highly anticipated opening event begins at 8 p.m. at 817 N. Lincoln Lane in Miami Beach. Guests will enjoy a fashion show, meet queer tattoo artists and experience dozens of queer-centric works by local artists. Guests can purchase a selection of art on display, with 100 percent of sales going to the artists.

Before the opening event, guests are invited to attend the Miami Beach Pride Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony at Miami Beach City Hall at 6 p.m. and Pride Lights the Night on Lincoln Road at 7 p.m.

Guests can experience the Queer Art Pop-up Showcase throughout the duration of Miami Beach Pride until April 5, 2020. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Miami Beach Pride Ball, another new activation, takes place April 2 and will feature the talents of Jason Rodriguez (Lemar Wintour on the hit FX series, "Pose") and the legendary House of Eon. Houses and dancers are invited to compete in the ballroom battle of the decade, in addition to celebrating the beauty of dance, self-expression and love for all. Miami Beach Pride is accepting applications until March 29.

Local entertainers are also encouraged to showcase their talents on Miami Beach Pride's first Community Stage April 4-5, presented by Jack Daniels Country Cocktails. Singers, musicians, dancers, drag queens/drag kings, comedians and more can submit their applications for the chance to perform at the free Miami Beach Pride Festival in Lummus Park. A cash prize will be awarded to entertainers based on feedback from a panel of judges. Winners will also receive invitations to perform at the Miami Beach Pride Festival in 2021.

Rich Walczak, executive director of Miami Beach Pride, hopes these events will provide guests with fresh perspectives about queerness in South Florida and beyond.

"Our 2020 theme, 'Let's Have a Ball,' captures the essence of one of Miami Beach Pride's core missions: to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community's diversity and pioneering creativity," Walczak said. "These new and exciting cultural activations give the public a chance to experience the LGBTQ+ community's unique ability to convey emotions and messages across mediums. They also provide local artists with additional venues to share their talents with the general public."

"Pride is all about being your true self, and the LGBTQ+ community conveys this notion so well through creative outlets like art and dance," Walczak continued. "This is what makes our community so special. We each bring our own talents and personalities to the table, and when we all get together, we make magic happen."

Local artists and entertainers can visit www.miamibeachpride.com/events to learn more about these activations and submit their applications.

About Miami Beach Pride

Miami Beach Pride is a nine-day celebration taking place March 28-April 5, 2020. Events include a rainbow flag-raising ceremony at Miami Beach City Hall, a festival and parade with exclusive VIP areas, renowned celebrities, musical performances, refreshments, food, a lounge for LGBTQ+ seniors, "The Garden of Eve" Women's Tent, the Tea Tent, and family-friendly and pet play areas. Other events include a Pride Lights the Night remembrance for the victims of the PULSE nightclub shooting, a Miss Miami Beach Pride drag queen pageant, and an exclusive VIP Gala.

Since its inception in 2009, Miami Beach Pride has grown from a neighborhood event to an international extravaganza featuring A-list celebrities such as Gus Kenworthy, Ross Mathews, Bebe Rexha, Andy Cohen, Elvis Duran, Iggy Azalea, Jordin Sparks, Gloria Estefan and Adam Lambert. After its inaugural year in 2009, with an estimated 15,000 spectators, Miami Beach Pride has grown to an event attracting approximately 170,000 attendees. In addition to parade spectators, the 2019 event included more than 100 parade contingencies, 35 floats, and 4,000 participants.

Miami Beach Pride is made possible with the support of the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the City of Miami Beach, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Celebrity Cruises returns as the presenting sponsor. While still a work in progress, additional sponsors for Miami Beach Pride 2020, as of February 19, 2020, include Atlantic Broadband; Ambiente Magazine/Unity Coalition; AxelBeach Miami; Babe Wine; Belle Isle Moonshine; Capital One; Coca-Cola; the Confidante; Crunch Fitness; Delta Airlines; Dr. Brandt Skincare; Dunkin' Donuts; Edge Media Network; Entercom; Enterprise Holdings; Gilead; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; The Hartford; HealthMerch; Let's Stop HIV Together; Lincoln Road; Magic City Casino; Miami Foundation; the Nest Rooftop Sunset Lounge; NBC 6, Telemundo 51 and Comcast Spotlight; The Postcard Agency; Source Events; TD Bank; Tito's Handmade Vodka; Trulieve; Visa; W. BRADFORD; Waste Management; and Wire Magazine.

For more information about Miami Beach Pride 2020, please visit www.miamibeachpride.com