Pride Fort Lauderdale is Moving to the Beach!

At its September 20 meeting, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission approved a proposal from the Pride Fort Lauderdale board of directors to move the annual celebration to Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, Feb. 26.

"We are deeply appreciative of the support of Vice Mayor Dean Trantalis and the members of the commission," said Miik Martorell, president. "Broward County and South Florida are home to one of the largest and most diverse LGBT communities in the country. Our goal is to create a positive, uplifting celebration that celebrates these strengths."

The one-day main event on Feb. 26 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, 1100 Seabreeze Blvd., will include performances by nationally-recognized talent. Affiliated events are also being planned for the larger LGBT community, including women, families, transgender men and women, seniors, sports enthusiasts and people in recovery.

Admission to the main event will be FREE and proceeds will fund scholarships for LGBT youth and grants to local organizations.

"Our goal is to present a world class festival that will not only appeal to local residents, but become a destination for LGBT people from around the world," Martorell said, explaining the decision to move the location and date to the region's peak tourist season.

After hosting a major meeting of Pride organizers in April, Martorell and many of the volunteer board members have been traveling to and volunteering at Pride festivals across the country-at their own expense-to study best practices and further develop relationships. Since June, they have participated in more than a dozen festivals including New York City, Baltimore, San Francisco, San Diego and Dallas, as well as smaller communities such as Roanoke, Va., which has also "reinvented" itself over the past year. In coming months, they will travel to Atlanta, Las Vegas and Palm Springs.

"We've learned a lot," he said. "Words cannot express the thrill that came with volunteering at New York Pride, where 1.5 million people came together for a day. These trips also offered an opportunity to promote our own event with Pride organizers across the country."

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau is a major partner for the 2017 festival. Additional sponsors, events and performing artists will be announced at PrideFortLauderdale.org.