The Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area is proud to be the host destination of the first event ever held before the Pride of the Americas from April 21 to 26, 2020. This historic and transformative event will allow participants to gather from two continents and 35 countries, giving the Welcome everyone under the sun. Pride of the Americas will be organized by Fort Lauderdale Pride along with the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area, serving as the presentation’s sponsor.
“The Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Metropolitan Area is the perfect destination for the launch of the Pride of the Americas 2020 event, this is because we are recognized for our open welcome to the LGBT + community and all visitors around the world” said Stacy Ritter, director and president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area. «We are excited that those attending the Pride of the Americas event experience our cosmopolitan destiny, as well as our beautiful mix of cultures.»
The six-day event will begin with an opening ceremony on Tuesday, April 21 in downtown Fort Lauderdale and culminate on Sunday, April 26 with an epic beach and fireworks festival. Pride of the Americas will include social activities throughout its destination, as well as a parade, beach party, art festival, a list of first entertainment, evening concerts, and breakfast lunches enlivened by disk jockeys and artists talented A glamorous fashion show will feature alumni designs of Bravo’s «Project Runway» and local designers, modeled by men, women, transgender people and talented models, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in nearby Hollywood.
«The Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area is home to a thriving LGBT + community and we look 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 and Inclusion at the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area.
Pride of the Americas will call attention to the shared aspects facing LGBT + people, families, youth and older adults in Latin America and the Caribbean. Key thought leaders from different countries will share their experience in transformative conferences and symposiums on human rights, business, travel, health and wellness, education and more.
Although the Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area is in close proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean, it is thousands of miles away in relation to the treatment and acceptance of LGBT + people in their communities. The event hopes to attract international attention to these inequalities while improving the education and understanding of the LGBT + community worldwide.
«The Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area is a community that celebrates diversity and inclusion in every form, every single day, where Pride is our daily way of life,» said Miik Martorell, president of Fort Pride Lauderdale «Pride of Fort Lauderdale and the Office of Conventions and Visitors are committed to leverage Pride of the Americas to strengthen LGBT + communities and the Pride movement in the Caribbean and Latin America.»
Welcoming 1.5 million LGBT + visitors annually who spend $ 1.5 billion, the Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area is well adapted to host Pride of the Americas. With hundreds of businesses that are owned by gays and operated by gays, and being the highest concentration of same-sex couple homes in the country, the destination is one of the most diverse and welcoming in the world.