South Beach comic and drag icon Pussila - dressed in Japanese geisha attire -manned the VIP tent, introducing guests to Hiro Sake, one of the alcoholic sponsors of Pride Fort Lauderdale.Īnd there was plenty of alcohol flowing. Grammy award winner Estelle closed out Pride Fort Lauderdale Sunday evening with a performance. “It’s an honor to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community as we share this beautiful human experience with Pride,” Estelle said. Weeks prior to the festival, the singer provided Pride organizers a strong statement in support of the LGBT community. (Photo courtesy of DJ Deanne).Įstelle closed out the event Sunday evening, performing on the main stage. Below, DJ Deanne takes a selfie at Pride Fort Lauderdale. (Photo by Jose Cassola / JoCa Communications). I hope that I accomplished that.”Ībove, DJ Tracy Young greets the crowd.
“I wanted to hold true to the ‘Love Pride’ theme and bring nothing but love and fun to my set. “I’m so thankful for being able to share my music with so many beautiful people,” Deanne said. Throughout the day, DJs Deanne, Tracy Young, Power Infiniti, Guy DeGiacinto and Oscar G revved up the crowd from the main stage and the beach as hot, go-go boys danced in their underwear.ĭeanne says her experience spinning at Pride Fort Lauderdale was “incredible.” (Photos by Jose Cassola / JoCa Communications). It’s very cuchi cuchi,” Charo told the audience.Ĭharo surprised Pride goers Sunday with an impromptu rehearsal (above) before the official performance later in the evening (below). She later came back in the evening for the official performance. Earlier in the day, she surprised the crowd with a rehearsal of sorts, where she performed two versions of her song, “Fantastico” - one on guitar, the other a techno remix. Among them were “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumna Carmen Carrera, guitarist Jaimie Wilson, author and actress Rajee Rajindra Narinesingh and trans model and singer Laith Ashley, who performed his singles “Can’t Wait” and “Before You Go.”Ĭharo took to the Pride stage twice as one of the promised headliners for “The Love Pride” themed event.
Running in conjunction with Pride Fort Lauderdale was the inaugural South Florida Trans Pride, which offered transgenders vendors and resources a separate bar with proceeds benefiting the trans community and meet-and-greet opportunities with trans celebrities and activists. “We really could not do any of this without support from the community.“ “It’s truly my honor and pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful event,” Martorell said. Miik Martorell, president of Pride Fort Lauderdale, said he was pleased with the turnout and is honored to be a part of the Pride legacy.
On Sunday, the last day of the three-day spectacle, festival goers were treated to performances by Spanish-American actress, comedian and flamenco guitarist Charo (famous for her guest appearances on the 70s and 80s TV show, “The Love Boat”) and Grammy award winner Estelle, known for her hits “American Boy” featuring Kanye West and “One Love” featuring David Guetta. The Broward LGBT festival, now in its second year, was expected to break an attendance record of 60,000 people over last year’s 40,000. LGBT festival drew thousands of attendees, celebrity headliners and DJs and prominent transgender activistsīy Jose Fort Lauderdale drew thousands of attendees over the weekend looking to show their “pride” in many ways. Photos by Jose Cassola / JoCa Communications