Greater Fort Lauderdale is proud to be the host destination for the first-ever Pride of the Americas on April 21-26, 2020. This historic and transformational event brings two continents and 35 countries together, welcoming everyone under the sun. Pride of the Americas will be hosted by Pride Fort Lauderdale with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau serving as the presenting sponsor.
“Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County is the perfect launch destination for Pride of the Americas 2020 because we are world renowned for our open embrace to the LGBT+ community and to all visitors from across the globe,” said Stacy Ritter, CEO and president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are excited for Pride of the Americas attendees to experience our cosmopolitan destination, as well as our beautiful melting pot of cultures.”
Six days of events will begin with opening ceremonies on Tuesday, April 21 in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and culminate on Sunday, April 26, with an epic beach festival and fireworks display. Pride of the Americas will include social events throughout the destination, a parade, beach party, arts festival, A-list entertainment, sunset concerts, top DJs and drag brunches. A glamorous fashion show will feature designs by Bravo’s “Project Runway” alumni and local designers – modeled by male, female, transgender and drag models – at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in nearby Hollywood.
“Greater Fort Lauderdale is home to a thriving LGBT+ community, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming hundreds of thousands of LGBT+ visitors and allies to our destination where diversity shines brightly,” said Richard Gray, senior vice president of Diversity & Inclusion at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Pride of the Americas will draw attention to the shared issues LGBT+ individuals, families, youth and seniors face in Latin America and the Caribbean. Key thought leaders from different countries will share their expertise at life-changing conferences and symposiums on human rights, business, travel, health and wellness, education and more.
Although Greater Fort Lauderdale is close in proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean, they are miles apart regarding the treatment and acceptance of the LGBT+ individuals in their communities. The event hopes to bring international attention to these inequalities while improving education and understanding of the LGBT+ community on a global scale.
“Greater Fort Lauderdale is a community that celebrates diversity and inclusion in every way, each and every day, where Pride is our daily way of life,” said Miik Martorell, president of Pride Fort Lauderdale. “Pride Fort Lauderdale and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau are committed to leveraging Pride of the Americas to strengthen the LGBT+ communities and the Pride movement in the Caribbean and Latin America.”
Welcoming 1.5 million LGBT+ visitors annually spending $1.5 billion, Greater Fort Lauderdale is well-suited to host Pride of the Americas. With hundreds of gay-owned and operated businesses and the highest concentration of same-sex couple households in the country, the destination is one of the most diverse and welcoming in the world.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is also the LGBT+ capital of Florida and is home to one of the largest Pride Centers in the country, the world’s first AIDS museum, the global headquarters of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, and the Stonewall Museum, one of the only permanent spaces in the U.S. devoted to exhibitions relating to LGBT+ history and culture. The LGBT+ Visitor Center is co-located with the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce in the heart of Wilton Manors.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has been reaching LGBT+ travelers since 1996, when it became the first Convention & Visitors Bureau with a dedicated LGBT+ marketing department. Since then, Greater Fort Lauderdale has continued to break down barriers and facilitate visibility for the LGBT+ community at large, acting as a pioneer in the hospitality industry and ensuring that the destination is inclusive and welcoming with a diverse, safe and open community for all travelers.
Four years ago, it became the first destination in the world to create a transgender marketing campaign. Now the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau includes trans, lesbian, gay and straight people in all its mainstream marketing initiatives.
