WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GAY-FRIENDLY PHILADELPHIA
Dance Parties, Drag Shows, Film Festivals And Pride Parades
Are Among The Offerings For Gay Travelers To Philadelphia

Philadelphia, July 11, 2005 — Gay travelers eager to get their “history straight” and “nightlife gay” in Philadelphia can do just that, thanks to an eclectic mix of fun and fabulous happenings taking place day and night throughout the year. Dance parties, drag shows, film fests and pride parades are among the offerings of interest to gay travelers in 2005-2006. Here’s a look:

Ongoing Events Make Philly Fabulous Year-Round

• Kick off the weekend a day early at Bob & Barbara’s Drag Show. This Philadelphia tradition brings together a diverse group of people every Thursday night. 1509 South Street, (215) 545-4511

• Sample an eclectic mix of world and jazz music, ethnic food and special tours and films at Art After 5, held each Friday night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 26th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, www.philamuseum.org

• Shampoo is the place to be every Friday as predominantly male dance parties keep the fun going into the early morning hours. Events include Club Papi Chulo on the second Friday, rotating themed parties on the third Friday and DJ Guido spinning popular dance music during fourth Friday’s Bring It Back. 417 N. 8th Street, (215) 922-7500, www.nightlifegay.com (third Fridays), www.shaftfridays.com (Bring It Back)

• At the 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 at The Five Spot. Every first Saturday. 5 S. Bank Street, (215) 574-0070, www.thefivespot.com

• Girl/girl, boy/boy, girl/boy? It doesn’t matter at Elevate, a mostly female party held at Key West every fourth Saturday of the month. 207 S. Juniper Street, (215) 545-1578, www.elevatephilly.com

• Gay Bingo is a Philadelphia tradition, hosted by local drag queens at the Gershwin Y to raise money for the Aids Fund. Floating Saturday, once a month. Broad & Pine Streets, (215) 545-4400, www.aidswalkphilly.org

All Gay, All The Time

• 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 9, 2005. (215) 875-9288, www.phillypride.org
• The annual Blue Ball Weekend celebrates its 16^th anniversary in 2006. The circuit party raises funds for various local organizations. January 2006. www.blueballphilly.com

• 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. 17^th & 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 some 75 regional, national and international organizations. May 1-7, 2006. (800) 990-3378, www.equalityforum.com

• At the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, a multitude of theater performances explore the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) experience at various host theaters throughout the city. June 14-July 1, 2006. (215) 627-6483, www.philagaylesbiantheatrefest.org

• Philadelphia recognizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride with the annual LGBT Pride Parade and Festival through the Gayborhood. June 2006. (215) 875-9288, www.phillypride.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 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. The 2006 festival marks its 13^th anniversary. July 2006. (267) 765-9700, ext. 4, www.phillyfests.org

Gay-But-Not-Gay Happenings

• The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe offers two weeks of avant-garde performances and street theater in Old City. September 2-17, 2005. (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 16, 2005. (215) 731-9255, www.aidswalkphilly.org

• 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. January 1, 2006. www.mummers.org

• The Pennsylvania Convention Center hosts 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. 26^th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, www.philamuseum.org

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

2005

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