by Paul Heney
Last updated: 7:00 PM ET, Fri February 21, 2020
It has been nearly two years since the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau announced the first-ever Pride of the Americas (PotA) celebration. The event is expected to bring 350,000 visitors to south Florida from April 17-26, 2020. We caught up with J.W. Arnold, who handles Marketing & Public Relations for Pride Fort Lauderdale, to get the latest information on this highly anticipated event.
TravelPulse (TP): What's the latest news on Pride of the Americas? Is everything proceeding the way you hoped it would?
J.W. Arnold (JA): It's hard to believe that we're less than three months away! In many ways, Pride of the Americas is shaping up to be the festival we imagined nearly three years ago, but there have been a lot of surprises along the way. We've just been overwhelmed with the response from our community-both gay and straight. Local organizations and businesses are rallying around the preparations, sponsoring parties, arts performances, conferences and events we never could have imagined.
The support from our city and county have also been so important to our success. We know that Pride organizations in other cities and countries don't enjoy the support we have received.
TP: What are the current attendance projections? Is there any sort of housing site that potential attendees should visit when making plans?
JA: We're hoping for up to 350,000 guests during the Pride of the Americas festival. We've planned a very diverse schedule of events and activities to appeal to virtually every segment of the LGBT+ community that actually start before the official opening of the festival! There will be concerts, plays, lectures, exhibitions, dining, shopping and, of course, plenty of parties for women, men, youth, bears and the leather community, transgender people, people in recovery and more.
We have more than 20 official hotels that are offering special, discounted rates for Pride of the Americas, which can be found at PrideOfTheAmericas.org. We know everybody has their preferences about accommodations, but each of these are LGBT+ friendly and committed to making their guests feel safe and welcome during their stays. Many will be hosting special parties and social events during the week, also. Room blocks are starting to fill up, so we encourage people to make plans early, regardless of where they plan to stay.
TP: Can you talk a little about the sponsors and supporting organizations responsible for bringing PotA together?
JA: Pride of the Americas wouldn't have been possible without the incredible support of our presenting sponsor, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. They've been alongside us every step of this journey from planning to implementation.
We're also thrilled to have the support of our hometown Spirit Airlines, the official airline of Pride of the Americas; the city of New Orleans, our parade sponsor (they're bringing a little taste of Mardi Gras to Fort Lauderdale Beach); and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, our beach festival sponsor. Tito's Handmade Vodka has also been with us since we first moved to the beach four years ago and we appreciate their commitment to the LGBT+ community. There are so many friends to name!
TP: What major events at PotA do attendees have to look forward to?
JA: In addition to the Pride of the Americas parade and beach festival over the weekend, we're opening the festival with a gala and Mayor's welcome reception at the Museum of Discovery and Science on Wednesday, April 22, a glamorous Runway Fashion Show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino featuring collections by Project Runway designers on Thursday, April 23, and a sunset cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway on Friday, April 24.
On Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, guests will have an opportunity to learn about our native sea turtles and participate in environmental service projects, and on Thursday, April 24, we'll hold conferences devoted to the issues of seniors in the Americas and the status of HIV/AIDS, again with a focus on the Caribbean and Latin America.
TP: Any updates on plans for future iterations of the event?
JA: A city has been selected to host Pride of the Americas in 2022. We won't be making that announcement for a few weeks, but I can reveal that it is a beautiful, sexy, culturally rich city in South America. Their team is amazing and we are so proud to be handing Pride of the Americas off to them and to see how they celebrate "Orgullo."
We invite everyone to join us for the very first Pride of the Americas. Together, we'll be making history-while celebrating LGBT+ culture from Alaska to Argentina.
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