It’s gonna be a long hot summer and unless you happen to live in paradise (we're thinking Fiji), you’re going to want to get away. Now you can escape... for less! Launched last Friday, Out Escapes is a new portal for gay travelers and their cool-with-it allies looking for certified LGBT-friendly properties at cut rates, plus freebies, events, and some soon-to-launch social networking goodness. Right now, it's in the midst of wrapping up its first sales and offerings.
Whether you roasted yourself to a crisp or kept it classy with the SPF, Memorial Day taught us all one thing: we need more beach in our life. And thanks to Casa Cupula in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that need might soon be filled. Enter here through tomorrow to win a free weekend stay the boutique gay resort! Name, contact info, and send. Simple as pie.
And before you know it, you too may be chilling out in design-forward beachy bliss. Located appropriately enough on El Callejon de Igualidad (the Alley of Equality), just a 10-minute walk from the gay Blue Chairs Beach and the nightlife hot spots of Zona Romantica, Casa Cupula is close to all the action while providing the exclusivity of a hillside hideaway. Amenities include a clothing-optional heated pool (three pools in all), Jacuzzis, a home theater in every room, a gym, a spa, and a delicious restaurant which opened last year. Think the intimacy of a B&B with the service level of a high-end resort.
Want to party in South Beach this June but don’t want to deal with packing and pat downs (the unwanted kind)? Or heading to NYC for Pride and wishing it was just a bit more beachy?
Well you’re in luck -- Lords South Beach, named one of the country's best hotels, will be taking up residence in Paul Stallings’s über-mod Hotel on Rivington and is bringing the Miami with it. Lords New York, a first-of-its-kind pop-up hotel concept, launches in time for NYC Pride week, June 18-30, and will offer the South Beach experience on the Lower East Side, from imported keycards to visiting staff. The lobby will be painted Ocean Drive hot pink, feature an inflatable version of the Lords South Beach mascot, a nine-foot fiberglass polar bear, and work by gay artists including Ricardo Bellino, known for his Nespresso cup portraits. Guests will also receive gift bags containing swag from Babeland toys, Perrier, and Out magazine.
Sequin season is upon us -- just check our Pride Calendar.
By now you’ve probably sworn off carbs, picked out an outfit and a back-up outfit, and hit the gym like it’s your job, all just in case you meet that certain someone. But, wouldn’t the romance be better with a really sexy accent? Well, thanks to Hilton Hotels and their WorldPride 2012 Giveaway that tall, dark, handsome, stranger could be British.
Hilton Hotels is offering you the chance to be a VIP at London’s biggest pride celebration ever and it’s all free: two round-trip airfare tickets, two nights (July 6 – July 8) at the five-star Waldorf Hilton two VIP tickets to WorldPride 2012, and a one year digital subscription to our big bro, Out magazine.
Can you believe, it's been nearly a year since New York State legalized gay marriage, effectively doubling the amount of U.S. citizens eligible to tie the knot? Neither can we, and neither can NYC & Company, NYC's tourism organization, which just released it's two-month game plan to welcome even more visitors from around the world to experience firsthand the diversity, excitement and history that comes with New York City’s LGBT heritage. From the annual flagship Heritage of Pride events taking place June 16–24 in Manhattan to other celebratory events in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island throughout June and July, the City is brimming with gay pride activity. Highlights below:
Manhattan
NYC Pride put on by Heritage of Pride take place June 16-24 with a theme of “Share the Love”. · The Rally (Saturday, June 16, 3–6pm at the East River Bandshell at FDR and Houston) will feature well-known performers and motivational speakers from the LGBT community to kick off this year's Pride Week events. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are necessary. · Rapture on the River: A Women's Dance (Saturday, June 23, 4–11pm, Pier 57 at 15th Street and West Side Highway – Hudson River Park) has decided to supersize this year’s version with an extended edition, adding three hours to the event to create a day-to-night party that won’t disappoint. Tickets go on sale May 1. Event venue is enclosed. · The March (Sunday, June 24; step-off begins at noon,starts at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue, ends at Christopher and Greenwich Streets), which began as a civil rights demonstration the year after the Stonewall Riots, is now also a celebration of gay rights as well as recognition of causes, such as the fight against AIDS. For smaller crowds, visitors should watch anywhere from the teens to the 30s on Fifth Avenue, and for larger crowds and high energy, anywhere in the Village is ideal. This event is free and open to the public; no tickets are necessary. · PrideFest (Sunday, June 24, 11am–7pm, Hudson Street between Abingdon Square and West 14th Street), the annual LGBT street fair, brings together local residents and families, community leaders, area business owners, and visitors for a day of fun and celebration. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are necessary. · Dance on the Pier: Dance 26 (Sunday, June 24, 8pm–2am),Pier 57 at 15th Street and West Side Highway), featuring the Perry Twins and Boris, will culminate in a fireworks display at 10:30pm. All proceeds from the Dance on the Pier will benefit NYC's LGBT Pride Week events and community organizations. Event venue is enclosed.
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Queens Pride at the Queens Pride Parade & Multicultural Festival, on Sunday, June 3, in Jackson Heights. The parade begins at noon, going down 37th Avenue from 84th Street to 75th Street), and will feature special guests, including the cast of Wicked. A festival will take place from 11am to 6pm at 75th Avenue and 37th Road.
Brooklyn
On Saturday, June 9, starting at 9am, celebrate the 16th annual Brooklyn Pride at Bartel-Pritchard Circle, 15th Street and Prospect Park West, at Prospect Park. The theme is “Pride Links Us Together.” Event highlights include: · Pride 5K Fun Run (registration begins at 8am; run starts at 9am) · Multicultural Festival (11am–6pm) · Kids Space (noon–4pm) · Pride Happy Hour – participating restaurants along Fifth Avenue (details to be later announced) · Night Pride Parade (on Fifth Avenue from 14th Street to Sterling Place; 7:30pm kick-off; the first “Night Time Parade” in the Northeast
The Bronx
Bronx Pride Festival is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 21, from noon to 6pm at Crotona Park (Claremont Parkway and Crotona Avenue). The event will also feature a festival that will include entertainment, a health fair, food and memorabilia.
Check out NYCgo.com/pride for a full listing of pride events throughout the city and NYCgo.com/gay for info on NYC’s LGBT history and offerings, as well as the “NYC I DO” initiatve to encourage more marriages in the City. If you're in the mood to party, weekly listings and culture bible Next Magazine has you covered.
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