Gay Pride 2016 Review

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Now that we’ve had a few days to recover, I wanted to take some time and recap the incredible 2016 Gay Pride Weekend!  First of all, thanks needs to go out to the Tucson Pride Planning Board for serving up a fantastic slate of fun and meaningful events for this years celebration.  Let’s set them up for next year by donating today! Be sure to head back here after you’re done 🙂  Fun Photos below.

Now that we have the business out of the way, we can get to the fun! Lets start at the top:

Pride Friday Night

We have long held the Tucson Gay Pride Parade on the Friday before Tucson Pride, but that and a possible Block Party was the extent of the festivities for the night.  This year was completely flipped on its head!  Not only did we have the Tucson staple, Pride on Parade, but we were also treated to a host of events geared around the Gay Pride theme.  The night went like this:

G3Pride Party During Tucson's Gay Pride Weekend
G3Pride Party During Tucson’s Gay Pride Weekend

G3Pride

Between the hours of 5 – 7, the Hut hosted Pete Kings infamous G3Pride Party!  With great drink specials, pulse-pounding music and delicious dinner options, it was a fantastic way to start Pride Friday Night!

Pride On Parade

The Hut was also the perfect spot to enjoy a cocktail and cheer on the Tucson Pride on Parade as it proceeded down 4th Avenue.  With more floats and participants than ever, this year’s parade was truly a celebration of our amazing spirit and diversity.  I didn’t get any photos, but send us your pics today and I’ll post them on this page!

Rainbow Block Party

After the Parade, everyone headed over to RBAR for the Rainbow Block Party.  If you’ve never been to RBAR, it’s a decadent little hole in the wall next to the Rialto Theatre with some of the best drinks in Tucson.  The Rainbow Block Party featured a killer DJ spinning some great dance tunes, perfect for setting the stage for what came next.

pride at the rialto rupauls drag racePride at the Rialto

The entire night built up to this moment, and Pride at the Rialto surely didn’t disappoint. Meticulously planned and flawlessly executed, Pride at the Rialto had something for everyone.  We were entertained by the stars of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, as hilarious as they were gorgeous, who came all the way from Hollywood to share their own unique brand of Pride.  The drinks were delightful, the food was delicious, and the show was divine; a wonderful capstone for a wonderful night!

Pride in the Park

With the stage set, it was time for Tucson’s Gay Pride flagship, Pride in the Park, to step into the spotlight.  It was better than I had even expected!

I’d like to begin with a shout out to our amazing community!  We were fun and rowdy but always respectful and everyone, every single person that I’ve spoken with had an excellent time.  How many events can you say that about?

A Huge Crowd In Front of the Gay Pride Stage at Pride in the Park
A Huge Crowd In Front of the Gay Pride Stage at Pride in the Park

And did I mention the size of the crowd?  By the time I was there, they had already admitted over 4,000 Tucsonans and the line was growing by the second.  This was the most well-frequented Tucson Gay Pride I have been to in many years and I love Tucson for being so supportive and kind.

The event itself was a marvel of crowd and performer synergy as it seemed every act built upon the previous and the entire presentation wove a tapestry of precious moments that I will never forget.  Everyone, from the excellent DJ’s to the talented singers and presenters was in top form and the crowd repeatedly roared its approval.

Me and Tempest DuJour Loving Tucson Pride in the Park 2016
Me and Tempest DuJour Loving Tucson Pride in the Park 2016

Now, I might be a little biased, but the pinnacle of the event, atleast for me, had to be Tempest DuJour.  Tempest is a world renowned performer whom hails from Tucson, so the event had to be extra special.  We were given a small sample of his many talents and he left the audience starving for more.  Be sure to get your Tempest DuJour fix by checking out Retro Game Night!

The Wrap-Up

If you didn’t have a chance to join us for Tucson Pride this year, you owe yourself to mark it on your calendar and come out next year.  This was the largest and most well-planned Tucson Pride event I have been to in a long time, and I used to plan them back in the day 😉 The Tucson Pride Board of Directors has set a high bar for themselves and I am excited to see what they have in store for us next year!  Thanks for reading!
Tony Ray

La Fiesta De Los Osos

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Fiesta De Los Osos
Fiesta De Los Osos

Winter has traditionally been the time for bears around the world to hibernate.  In Tucson, however, our bears do things a bit differently.   Join Bears of the Old Pueblo each year in the early January to celebrate Fiesta De Los Osos!  This once-a-year party is an incredible opportunity to make some new friends while you explore our amazing city!

Going on for almost 20 years, Fiesta De Los Osos has brought over 3,000 bears and buddies from around the world to enjoy the heat and friendliness of our desert town.  In fact, it has become one of the largest and most anticipated Bear events in the country!

At each event, you can expect to find hundreds of fun, interesting bears to meet. creating La fete weekend one among the foremost anticipated bear events within the U.S.! As such, BOTOP decided to cap their attendance at 300 Bears, creating a fun and intimate experience for everyone. Get your tickets early to make sure you get a spot!

Pride in the Park 2017

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It

Pride In The Park 2017!

"Gay

2017 Pride is going to be so amazing! It happens to be the 40th anniversary of Tucson Pride. After a night of celebrating the Gay Pride on Parade down 4th Avenue, keep the party going, all the way to Reid Park.

Tucson Pride supports local businesses, drag performers, live stage entertainment, and so much more! Come show some love for your hosts Bunny Fufu and Tori Steel as they present an onslaught of talent for your entertainment. And not just local Tucson Pride talent either. There will be performers from all over the state as well as some national talent.

Each year Tucson Pride in the Park attracts over 4000 visitors who all agree that love is love. Please come join us.

Tickets are still available to purchase:

  • General-$15
  • *VIP-$75
  • Students, Seniors, and Military-$12 (must provide proof at the gate)
  • Kids 12 & Under FREE
  • Group discounts for 5 or more also available at 10% off

*VIP tickets to Pride in the Park 2017 include Fast access into the festival, VIP parking, 2 free drinks, 1 food ticket (in VIP area only), front access to the stage, meet and greet with performers, covered tent with A/C, cool giveaways throughout the day and so much more. (limited tickets, so get yours now!)

Have a great day,

TonyRay

Tucson Gay Pride 2014

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What: Pride On Parade When: Saturday, October 11 2014 6:00 PM. Where: Starts at Catalina Park on 2nd St. and Goes Down 4th Ave. to 8th St. Admission: All we ask is that you participate! Official Website: Tucson Pride Parade Over the past 14 years the Tucson Pride Parade has grown to become a central part of the Tucson Gay Pride celebration.  2014 promises to take the event to the next level!  Pride on Parade will begin at Catalina Park on 2nd St. at 6:00 PM on Saturday, October 11th.  We will proceed to 4th ave. and take a right, leading to our destination on 4th and 8th St. The most important thing is to get involved.  The focus of Pride on Parade is to allow everyone to be themselves, some come have a blast with us at the block party at the end of the parade! Thats right, this year the Tucson Pride Parade has joined with Sky Bar to provide a Block Party from 7pm to 9pm.  It’ll be the best place to grab a drink after the long parade march ; )

What: Tucson Pride In The Desert When: Saturday, October 18th 2014 Where: Kino Sports Complex. Admission: $10.00 at the door. VIP Tickets available online at http://tucsonpride.org/. Tucson Pride presents it’s 37th Annual LGBTQ Pride Festival . $50. VIP. Advance tickets can be bought on-line at http://tucsonpride.org/ Advance purchase tickets can be picked up at the will-call table at the entrance on the day of the event. Details to come shortly, book the date and plan on a great time!

Tucson Gay Pride 2013

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What: G3 Happy Hour When: Friday, October 11 2013 5:00 PM. Where: V Thai, 9 East Congress, Downtown Admission: $5 at the door includes entry, first drink of choice (including call and beer),    asian-fusion appetizers, live DJ, door prizes and Tucson’s best crowd! Official Website: www.TucsonG3.com G3 Gay Mens Happy hour, formerly G2H2 is planning an amazing event that looks like lots of fun. I think this is the only event along and during the Pride Parade Route. V Thai is located at 9 East Congress St. Downtown near the corner of Stone and Congress. They offer some amazing food options and there will be a live DJ, prize giveaways and Video for the event!  V Thai is opening at 5PM for this event so that you have time to relax and have drinks before the parade starts at 6:00PM. The parade route passes by the front of V Thai so it is a great spot to view the festivities and party with a geat crowd. If you have not been to V Thai before, it should be easy to find with a, 20 story high logo of G3 on the side of the building. After 10PM. the party moves to Playground at 5th and Congress for the Playboi after party.

Tucson Arizona Gay Pride Festival 2013What: Tucson Pride When: Saturday, October 12th 2013 Where: Kino Sports Complex. This event is NOT at the Kino Stadium but at “Soccer Field Number 2”. Turn South off Ajo onto Forgeus and drive straight South Admission: $10.00 at the door. VIP Tickets available online at http://tucsonpride.org/. Tucson Pride presents it’s 36th Annual LGBTQ Pride Festival . $50. VIP. Advance tickets can be bought on-line at http://tucsonpride.org/ Advance purchase tickets can be picked up at the will-call table at the entrance on the day of the event. This Years Tucson Pride Theme is Pride 365 highlighting the Southern AZ LGBTQ communitys commitment to show our pride every day of the year. This years Pride festival will be held at the Kino Sports Complex “South Soccer Field”. This is a large venue, features a field of cool grass and stadium lighting which will allow the revelers to party after dark. This is also a fenced county venue allowing beer,wine and yeah, spirits for the first time at a Tucson Pride Festival! So when heading out to the park this year make sure and bring your ID. 12 noon -9PM

Gay Tucson Pride 2013 Aidswalk Downtown ArizonaWhat: Tucson AIDSWALK When: Sunday, October 13th. 2013 Where:  From Joel D. Valdez Main LibraryJácome Plaza Downtown Tucson The 25th annual AIDSWALK  is a 5k walk and a 10K fun run which is a  tremendous resource for Southern Arizona which provides services such as HIV Testing ,case management, housing, food programs, medication assistance and prevention programs, . This year the organization is looking for 2,000 walkers and hopes to raise over $150,000 in order to continue their support for programs and services by The Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation. Please join this great organization to make this the best AIDSWALK ever October 13th. 2013 in downtown Tucson. For more information about AIDSWALK Tucson, visit http://aidswalktucson.saaf.org/
 The weekend starts off hot and wet at “Queertopia”, the pre-pride pool party hosted by the fabulous Miss Ajia Simone at the Arizona Riverpark Inn.  The pool party goes from 3-10 pm on Friday, October 12, and will feature the glorious mixes of DJs RAW-B & CELLOFAME.  Go-Go Dancers, Sing-Along Movie, Drink Specials & Jello Shots, Snack Bar… sounds like a blast to me.  Pride also has special room rates at the Riverpark Inn… so don’t worry about composing yourself to get back home! The Pride Parade, “Pride on Parade”, starts at 11am Saturday, October, 13th on 6th Avenue between 18th Street and 12th Street.  The theme for this year’s parade is “Pride Links Us Together”.  Oh… and this is exciting too… Pride in the park (known in Tucson as “Pride in the Desert”) will actually be in a park… with trees… and benches… not a ballpark!  It starts after the parade at 12 pm in Armory Park.
After the park… regain your wits, grabs some food, rehydrate, and get your booty on down to Hotel Congress for the official Pride After Party “Illusion: A Fool’s Paradise”, hosted by FLUXX Productions.  Party starts at 9 pm and best costume wins a prize.  So think about what your best illusion is and, as Tim Gunn would say, make it work.
And if all the downtown Pride activities aren’t enough for you, then I have great news!  The same weekend… downtown also… is Tucson Meet Yourself and AIDSWALK.  That’s three of Tucson’s largest events… all downtown… all the same weekend.  This is going to be amAAAAziiing!  Check out the AIDSWALK Tucson and Tucson Meet Yourself websites for more info.

Turnabout

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Turnabout!

Turnabout for TIHAN is always a blast! Tucson’s LGBTQ, gay-friendly businesses, and non-profits all come together and put on a show for the community to help those in need living with HIV and Aids. Tempest Dujour and Janee Starr usually host the event and will have you laughing til your socks come off.

If you would like to contribute, you can be a sponsor for the Turnabout event. We try and sponsor a table ever year!

Remember, even if you miss this event, TIHAN always accepts donations throughout the year. These donations help to continue providing services in support of those living with HIV and AIDS. Also, not all donations to TIHAN need to be in the form of money. Donations of time, expertise, or materials will work just as fine.

Have a great day!
Tony Ray