Put them together, and what’ve you got? One Magical Weekend! A portion of the proceeds goes to KindRED Pride Foundation, a non-profit that promotes diversity, equality, and inclusion. One Magical Weekend - This annual trip to the House of Mouse is half circuit party, half fairytale fantasia. Benefits from the concert - which feature the top names in EDM, pop, rock, and hip-hop - benefit LGBTQ organizations around the nation. LoveLoud Festival - Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds founded Salt Lake City’s LoveLoud Festival in 2017 to raise awareness and understanding for the LGBTQ community. Where: San Francisco to Los Angeles, California
Since the event began in 1993, participants have raised over $200 million to help fund services related to HIV/AIDS, and the friendships formed along the bike route last long after the ride ends. Sizzle, a circuit festival catering to gay black men since 2002, serves up five days of late-night raves, all-day pool parties, and at least one well-attended takeover of the naturist section at Haulover Beach.ĪIDS/LifeCycle - AIDS/Lifecycle, the seven-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, may sound like a real banana-seat in the ass, but for many who participate, it’s a joyful, life-changing experience. Sizzle - Memorial Day Weekend in Miami is for men of melanin. Chicago’s premier leather event features myriad fetish-forward dance parties and meet-ups where contestants mix and mingle with attendees throughout the week. Leather - IML is basically the Miss America competition, only the pageant queens are burly dudes decked out in fetish gear, and the title for which they’re competing is International Mister Leather.
The line-up always makes it worth shipping yourself out to the desert for at least one packed pool party and a pop star sighting - past performers include the likes of JLo, Mary J. White Party - With over 30,000 people in attendance every year, this Palm Springs music festival is one of the largest LGBTQ circuit parties in the United States. This year marks the event’s 25th anniversary. The Cherry Fund, which organizes the party, is the country’s longest-running non-profit queer dance festival since its inception, they’ve raised $1.3 million in support of mental health and HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Be warned: This dance party is heavily boy-flavored, and if others plan to attend, they should possess an unflappable sense of sexual adventure.Ĭherry Weekend - Cherry trees aren’t the only thing in full bloom during this annual springtime DC dance party - the local gays emerge from hibernation just in time for this shirtless-boy soiree, too. Wear your favorite harness and dance until you drop (to your knees). The Black Party - New York’s hedonistic fetish fete is a springtime celebration of sex and debauchery. The April festivities are an ideal time to visit - the steep hillside town comes alive with the first signs of spring. Spring Diversity Weekend - This unassuming enclave nestled in the Ozarks is an LGBTQ haven, and several times throughout the year, the town hosts a Diversity Weekend featuring drag shows, pool parties, and family-friendly entertainment to celebrate their queer community. Fun Fact: Dinah Shore, the entertainer after whom the party is named, was not a lesbian herself - she just happened to throw popular golf tournaments in the 1970s that were infamous for attracting gay women. You’ll find lesbians of all ages, races, and identities among the diverse crowd. Now in its 30th year, Dinah’s long-term success is undoubtedly due to its spirit of inclusivity. Photo: CLUB SKIRTS DINAH SHORE WEEKEND/Facebookĭinah Shore Weekend - Every spring, thousands of women gather in the desert to celebrate all things female for five days filled with pool parties and all-night dance ragers. This unpretentious gathering, now in its 18th year, regularly attracts 2,500 skiers for five days of outdoor adventures and indoor shindigs. The Roundup, a multi-day conference for LGBTQ individuals in a 12-step recovery program, is happening in Miami simultaneously this year.Įlevation: Mammoth - Located a scenic 45-minute drive from Yosemite National Park, Elevation’s gay ski week at California’s Mammoth Lakes is a picturesque place to get sweaty on both the ski slopes and the dance floor. Don’t worry - this iconic circuit party, going strong since 1994, isn’t only about hips gyrating to house music - a portion of the proceeds goes to the National LGBTQ task force, which supports 80 nonprofit organizations in South Florida.
Winter Party - Miami’s six-day music festival is the perfect excuse to ditch America’s cold weather climes, don your most daring speedo, and dance until dawn all week long.