Florida is obviously a vacation destination for many LGBT travelers. The vast beaches, the incredible weather and the scantily clad men and women at hotel pools and resorts have lured countless travelers to the Sunshine State.
But in the past few years, LGBT Pride festivals like St. Pete Pride, Come Out With Pride in Orlando and Stonewall Pride in Fort Lauderdale have striven to become “destination Pride” events.
The growth of all three shows the marketing plans are working.
Large Pride events around the world have marketed to a global market of travelers and have become motivating factors in bringing in guests to the large cities. Here is a look at some of the larger LGBT Pride festivals around the world and their enticing vacation lures.
New York City Gay Pride
The Stonewall Riots of 1969 launched the modern Gay Pride movement, so its no wonder that New York City Gay Pride has one of the best-attended and best-advertised LGBT Pride events on the planet. NYC Pride advertises a full week of activities bookended by a rally and a huge parade.
New York City Gay Pride is organized by Heritage of Pride, and the 2011 grand marshals are Dan Savage and Terry Miller of the “It Gets Better” campaign, and New York MCC Pastor Pat Bumgartner. The 2011 Pride march begins at noon on Sunday, June 26 and an estimated 500,000 participants are expected to walk along 36th Street and Fifth Avenue.
For details on NYCGP, visit NYCPride.org.
Amsterdam Gay Pride
Pride weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year for Amsterdam, and the city understands 
that. A mass-marketing campaign reaches a global market and a long list of hotels serving as “official” Amsterdam Gay Pride sponsors ensure an ever-growing attendance. In 2010, AGP brought nearly 400,000 revelers to the Dutch city.
This year, the celebration is July 30-Aug. 7 and the annual Canal Parade is at 2 p.m. on Aug. 6. For more information, visit AmsterdamGayPride.nl.
San Francisco Gay Pride
Often, San Francisco is considered the gayest city in the United States, so it's understandable that the Gay Pride Festival taking place there every summer is considered one of the best. This year, San Francisco Pride is June 25 and 26 and it will celebrate 41 years. The theme is “In Pride We Trust” and more than 200 parade contingents are expected in 2011.
What San Francisco Gay Pride doesn't have in its parade”the route is one of the shortest in the country”it makes up in its festive atmosphere. It's main stage provides entertainment right next to City Hall and is one of the few Pride organizations that selects grand marshals based on public votes.
This year, nearly 3,000 people voted and chose Dr. Aaron Belkin, SFSU professor and key advocate to repeal DADT), Victoria Kolakowski (first openly elected transgender Superior Court judge), Christiana Remington (community activist and event producer), Terry Stewart (defense attorney, challenger of Prop. 8), Rev. Roland Stringfellow (builder of relationships between the LGBT and religious communities), and Graylin K. Thornton (Leather Community activist and past-board member for New Leaf Services), as its grand marshals.
Estimates vary when it comes to attendance, but most agree that somewhere between 450,000-500,000 people attend the annual festival. This year's parade is on Sunday, June 26.
Visit SFPride.org for more information.
Atlanta Gay Pride
The 41st Atlanta gay Pride festival is scheduled to coincide with National Coming Out Day in October. The 2011 celebration is Oct. 8-9 in Piedmont Park.
The annual festival and march brings in corporate sponsors and in 2010, Atlanta Pride's most successful year financially, Delta Airlines served as a presenting sponsor. Over the past few years, the festival has changed locations due to drought conditions, but organizers say they are working to keep the celebration in Piedmont Park for the foreseeable future. It was in that park in 1970″a year after the Stonewall Riots”that activists handed out literature to passersby. There was no march or parade that first year.
For more information on Atlanta Gay Pride, visit AtlantaPride.org.
Chicago Gay Pride
Chicago made Gay Pride history in 2010 when the Stanley Cup made its debut in an LGBT festival. The Chicago Blackhawks team and representatives displayed the National Hockey League's holy grail for the first time, taking the 42-year-old Pride festival to a whole new level.
Each year, the Chicago Gay Pride parade steps off from the corner of Halsted & Belmont the last Sunday in June. There's also a pride run and a big pride festival with speakers and performers. Details on the 2011 Chicago Gay Pride festival weren't available at press time, but the Chicago Tribune reported that nearly 400,000 people attended in 2010.
For more information, visit ChicagoPrideCalendar.org.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
American LGBTs know the birth of the current gay rights movement happened at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. For our Australian brothers and sisters, a similar event spurned that nation's pride movement in 1978, when police revoked a permit for a Gay Pride parade and arrested 51 people. Today, the Sydney Australia Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration is the largest Pride event in the world and lasts nearly the entire month of February.
The 2011 celebration brought in an unprecedented $29 million to Sydney and is credited to the impact of international and interstate visitors travelling specifically for the month-long celebration. The annual event also brings luminaries from around the world. This year saw Lily Tomlin and Kathy Griffin.
Visitors to Mardi Gras have several parades to see, cultural events, pool parties and drag shows to keep them entertained throughout their stay. Even though Australia does not recognize same-sex marriage, the government of Sydney has worked closely with Mardi Gras the past several years to ensure the event continues to grow.
For more information on Sydney's LGBT Mardi Gras, visit MardiGras.org.Au.
Pride Toronto
Toronto is home to one of our neighbor to the north's largest LGBT Pride celebrations. Pride Toronto features 10 days of world class arts and cultural programming, community activities and one of the world's largest street festivals. The 31st Celebration is Friday, June 24 to Sunday, July 3 this year.
In addition to a large-scale LGBT parade, a Dyke March, Trans March, family events and special celebrations for youth are always included. Seven stages throughout the week will house several kinds of live entertainment.
The precursor to Pride Toronto began in the 1970s but it did not become an annual event until 1981.
Schedules for the 2011 celebration weren't available at press time but will be released online at PrideToronto.com.
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Every Pride event aims to be the largest in the world, but with an estimated 3.4 million attending in 2008, Sao Paul, Brazil, seems to have the legitimate claim to that.
On Sunday, June 26, Sao Paulo, Brazil, will celebrate its 15th Gay Pride celebration with an estimated 3 million revelers.
One of the main reasons Sao Paulo has seen such phenomenal growth since its inception is because of its emphasis on travel. By booking through the Pride event's website, travelers can enjoy four nights for just $428. Additional travel options also include neighboring LGBT-friendly cities like Rio de Janeiro.
While most LGBT visitors to Sao Paulo will want to experience the parties and festivities surrounding the world's largest Gay Pride, there are opportunities to help the organization spread equality as well. Like most Pride organizations, Sao Paulo Pride focuses on local and national laws and ways to incorporate equality on a federal level.
For more details, visit GayPrideBrazil.org.
