Press Release

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN GAY TRAVEL IN PHILADELPHIA FOR 2006?
Dance Parties, Drag Shows, Film Festivals And Pride Parades Make Philly Fabulous

PHILADELPHIA, November 16, 2005- Gay travelers to Philadelphia eager to get their "history straight" and “nightlife gay” will find an eclectic mix of fun and fabulous happenings throughout the year. Dance parties, drag shows, pride parades and cultural events are among the offerings for gay travelers in 2006-2007. And with the Philadelphia Freedom Hotel Package, sleeping over in Philadelphia is more fun than ever. For the most updated event information and to book a hotel package, visit www.gophila.com/gay.

Shampoo

Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC

Ongoing Events Make Philly Fabulous Year-Round:

• Sequins, high heels and divas abound at the Thursday Night Drag Show at Bob & Barbara's. This Philadelphia tradition brings together a diverse group of people every week at one of the city's most welcoming bars. 1509 South Street, (215) 545-4511
• The galleries stay open late at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday nights for Art After 5, a cabaret-like event featuring world and jazz music, light cuisine and cocktails. 26th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, www.philamuseum.org
• A predominantly male crowd flocks to Shaft Fridays at Shampoo for a rotating schedule of themed dance parties and guest DJs. Club Papi Chulo is a Latin night taking place the second Friday of every month. 417 N. 8th Street, (215) 922-7500, www.shampooonline.com
• At The Five Spot's Peek-a-Boo Review, a "neo-burlesque" mix of bedraggled drag queens, can-can girls, tap dancers and musicians raise tacky entertainment to a new level on every first Saturday. 5 S. Bank Street, (215) 574-0070, www.thefivespot.com
• The ladies take over Pure, Philly's after hours spot, flock for Party Girl First Friday each month. 1221 St. James Street, (215) 735-5772
• Gay Bingo, a Philadelphia tradition hosted by drag queens racing around on skates at the Gershwin Y, raises money for the AIDS Fund. Floating Saturday, once a month. Broad & Pine Streets, (215) 545-4400, www.aidswalkphilly.org

All Gay, All The Time

• Colours, Inc. sponsors Philadelphia Black Gay Pride, an event at the Wyndham Philadelphia at Franklin Plaza Hotel that promotes unity among African American sexual minorities. April 27-30, 2006. 17th & Race Streets, (215) 448-2000, www.phillyblackpride.org
• The week-long Equality Forum festival celebrates the cultural and political legacy of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community with more than 50 events by 75 plus regional, national and international organizations. A street fair and concert at Penn's Landing ends the week. May 1-7, 2006. (800) 990-3378, www.equalityforum.com
• Blue Ball, Philadelphia's internationally famous circuit party, changed its usual winter date to coincide with this year's Equality Forum. Proceeds from Blue Ball benefit local non-profit organizations. May 4-7, 2006. www.blueballphilly.com
• Philadelphia recognizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride with the annual LGBT Pride Parade and Festival in the "Gayborhood." June 11, 2006. (215) 875-9288, www.phillypride.org
• Gay and lesbian tennis players of all levels and from all places meet in Bucks County each year for the New Hope Open, sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Association. August 19-20, 2006, www.glta.net
• The Philadelphia Phillies welcome more than 1,500 gays and lesbians to Citizens Bank Park each August for Gay Community Day. Date to be determined. (215) 463-6000, www.phillygaydays.com
• Urban life gives way to a more bucolic pace in Chester County, but gay life is just as vibrant. Chester County Pride celebrates diversity just outside Philadelphia in downtown Phoenixville. October 1, 2006. (610) 983-9595, www.chestercountypride.org
• Taking place each October, OutFest, the National Coming Out Weekend, is a block party in Philadelphia's "Gayborhood." The festival marks National Coming Out Day and has grown over the past 14 years into the largest "Coming Out Day" celebration in the world. October 8, 2006. (215) 875-9288, www.phillypride.org

Arts And Culture To-Dos:

• Out at the Opera, a social group for gays and lesbians run by the Opera Company of Philadelphia, will reunite for the 2006 season. Margaret Garner runs from February 10-26 and is followed with The Marriage of Figaro from May 5-21, 2006. Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street, (215) 893-3600, www.operaphilly.com
• Four-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally's Some Men, a play about the trials of same sex marriage, makes its world debut with the Philadelphia Theatre Company. May 12- June 11, 2006. 1714 Delancey Street, (215) 985-0420, www.phillytheatreco.com
• The Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival offers new and emerging artists the chance to explore the LGBT experience at various host theaters throughout the city. June 15- July 2, 2006. (215) 627-6483, www.philagaylesbiantheatrefest.org
• For two weeks, the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival celebrates all genres of film that pertain to or were created by members of the GLBT community. The 2006 festival marks its 13th anniversary. July 13-25 2006. (267) 765-9700, ext. 4, www.phillyfests.org
• Gender-bending and cross-dressing comedy take center stage at the Wilma Theater when Caryl Churchill's Cloud 9 begins its run on May 9 and goes to June 4, 2006. 265 S. Broad Street, (215) 546-7824, www.wilmatheater.org

Gay-But-Not-Necessarily-Gay Happenings:

• Every New Year’s Day, thousands of decorative strutters kick off the New Year by marching in the Mummers Parade, a festive day-long parade that ends with the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Festivities continue day into night in the "Gayborhood." January 1, 2006. www.mummers.org
• The Pennsylvania Convention Center is the site of the Philadelphia Flower Show, the city’s annual gardening celebration. This year’s show, themed "Enchanted Spring...a Tribute to Mother Nature," features contests, special events and more than 100 vendors. March 5-12, 2006. 12th & Arch Streets, (215) 988-8899, www.theflowershow.com
• Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic, on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, surveys seven decades of Andrew Wyeth's achievements with 100 tempera paintings – many inspired by the people and landscapes of the Brandywine Valley. March 29-July 16, 2006. 26th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, www.philamuseum.org
• The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe offers two weeks of avant-garde performances and street theater in Old City. September 1-15, 2006. (215) 413-1318, www.livearts-fringe.org
• The 12-kilometer AIDS Walk begins and ends at Eakins Oval in front of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The event supports direct care services, prevention and education, counseling and testing, medical care and public awareness efforts. October 15, 2005. (215) 731-9255, www.aidswalkphilly.org

New events are popping up all the time in this vibrant community. For more up-to-date information and new happenings, visit www.gophila.com/gay.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region's economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery.

CONTACT:

Jeff Guaracino, GPTMC
(215) 599- 2290, jeff@gptmc.com