If you’ve attended every single one of the events leading up to St. Pete Pride — the Pride Beach Cleanup, Pet Pride, Pride Night at the Rays, the Pride Benefit Square Dance Night (!), etc., etc. — well, get some damn rest! The biggest weekend of all is just getting started. —David Warner
Stonewall Commemorative Reception. A party for the sponsors and friends of St. Pete Pride, plus anyone who wants to fork up 25 bucks for the chance to hobnob. In addition to the hors d’oeuvres and liquid libations, you can drink in the MFA’s current exhibitions of work inspired by the human form and art by contemporary self-taught artists. Thurs., June 23, 6-9 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive., N.E., St. Petersburg.
Fire and Ice Weekend. Postcard Inn and Watermark, two of our favorite institutions, have joined forces in what seems like a no-brainer of a project, except that no one thought of it before: St. Pete Pride goes to the beach! All weekend long, the surf-retro chic of Postcard will be the backdrop for parties, parties, parties. The Fire and Ice Welcome Party on Thursday ($10, 6 p.m.-Midnight) features a Dive-In Movie, the dizzy musical fantasy Were the World Mine (watch it from the Postcard's huge pool!) and benefits the Tampa Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival. The Fire Party on Friday night (6-10 p.m., $10) promises sunset over the Gulf and dancing on the sand, with a shuttle to Georgie’s. The ICE Party on Saturday (2 p.m.-Midnight, $25) is a chance to cool off after the parade in the pool, dance to DJ Luis Perez, enjoy fireworks and more. Also on Saturday: the Heatwave Party for Women (8 p.m.-3 a.m., $25, includes admission to ICE) in the inn’s disco-fied conference center with its huge second-floor deck. And on Sunday there’s the Beach Party and Last Supper Brunch Club on Sunday (1 a.m.-2 p.m., $10). Passes include admission to daytime pool parties. There are also weekend party passes ($45) and there may still be some rooms left, too. Fri.-Sun., Postcard Inn, 6300 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, watermarkonline.com.
Pride in Fashion. The potentially most outrageous event of the weekend is this Macy’s fashion show hosted by the eponymous star of the Sundance-now-Logo reality series Be Good Johnny Weir, the two-time Olympic figure skater and all-time most-fabulous-Olympian. Plus there’s Tampa’s ever-lovely Alexis Mateo of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Papi Underwear demi-gods, I mean models, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and champagne, and it’s all for only a $10 suggested donation which Macy’s will return with a $10 gift card to be used on merchandise. All proceeds to benefit St. Pete Pride. Fri., June 24, 6-8:30 p.m., Macy’s, 6901 22nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
Jagermeister Pre-Party. A night drenched in Jager shots might not be the best prep for a day in the hot sun, but what the hell — it’s at Georgie’s, and Shangela and Alexis and The Lady Bunny will be there. So drink up! You can sleep on the float. Fri., 9 p.m., Georgie’s Alibi, 3100 3rd Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-321-2112.
Una Voce Pride Pancake Breakfast. Soak up all those shots from the night before with a heapin’ stack of pancakes, only six bucks for the benefit of Una Voce: The Florida Men’s Chorale. Sat., June 25, 7 a.m-9 a.m., King of Peace MCC, 3150 5th Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
Ninth Annual St. Pete Pride Promenade & Festival. Florida’s largest Pride celebration attempts to break all crowd (and temperature) records, led by this year’s Grand Marshal, preeminent LGBT religious leader Rev. Troy Perry, and the ubiquitous Alexis Mateo. Watch for the CL/Chelsea Nightclub fire truck amongst the floats and ROTC twirlers and giant rainbow flag, then listen to the musical stylings of headliner Sir Ari Gold (“the openly gay, Jewish musical phenomenon”), Elysian Sex Drive, Halcyon and more. And when it all gets too hot for you, stop by Creative Loafing’s air-conditioned booth — yes, I said AC! — between 25th & 26th streets on Central. Check out our gallery of photos from “A Day in the Life of Gay Tampa Bay,” blown up real big, and get a photograph of your own day in the life at our Pride Photo Booth. Parade: Sat., 9 a.m.. from 20th Street to 28th Street on Central. Festival: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. from 21st to 28th Street on Central.
PRIDE (and Prejudice) Artist’s Reception. A photographer and former NPR exec whose primary influences are Diane Arbus and Federico Fellini? Who better to take pictures of St. Pete Pride? See Lamar Marchese’s photos of the 2009 and 2010 Pride Parades in all their motley glory. Free and open to the public, the show remains on view through July 16. Sat., 6-9 p.m., Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg.
Pride Service & Brunch. Go to repent — or, far better, go to enjoy a service with Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, followed by brunch. Sun., June 26, 11:30 a.m., King of Peace MCC, 3150 5th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $10.
Tropical T-Dance. Party around the pool at St. Pete Pride’s Official Closing Party. Drink specials, drag queens, male strippers… oh my. Sun., June 26, 2 p.m-3 a.m, Flamingo Resort, 4601 34th Street S., St. Petersburg.
Divas Do Garland. The 7th Annual Night of Alternative Theater features an over-the-rainbow lineup of Tampa Bay leading ladies, including Angela Bond, Juliana Black, Becca McCoy and Jayne Trinett (the entire cast of Motherhood: The Musical, reviewed elsewhere in this issue) as well as Alison Burns, Laura Hodos and Lulu Picart (all in freeFall’s Man of La Mancha). Tickets benefit AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP) and Metro Wellness & Community Organizations. Mon., June 27, 7:30 p.m., freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-498-5205.
