May 31, 2011
Deborah Cox (and High Heel Race) To Headline Baltimore Pride
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Baltimore, MD - Baltimore will roll out the rainbow carpet to host its annual Pride celebration June 17-19, 2011. Maryland's premiere LGBT event, Baltimore Pride is attended by more than 30,000 attendees for a weekend of free outdoor fun. This year's event includes a new Family Zone and a headline performance by award-winner Deborah Cox.
The fiercely competitive High Heel Race will serve as the official Pride kick-off on Saturday, June 18 at 3:30 p.m., followed by the fascinating spectacles of the Pride Parade. Colorful floats and marching units will parade down the streets of the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, one of the centers of the LGBT life in Baltimore, beginning at 4 p.m.
After the Parade, Baltimore Pride's Block Party becomes a nightclub without walls, and this year's party is going to be Diva-licious when fabulous favorites take the stage. The Block Party is four hours of singers, dancers, bands and drag, and more with a featured performance by R&B, pop and dance sensation Deborah Cox. More than 75 vendors will line the streets of Mount Vernon, selling everything from T-shirts to glittering jewelry and fabulous food.
The weekend culminates on Sunday, June 19 with the family-friendly Pride Festival beginning at 11 a.m. in historic Druid Hill Park, a 745-acre, lakeside urban landscape ranked with New York's Central Park. The new Family Zone at the festival will include interactive children's event and activities.
For out-of-town-visitors Baltimore has more than 25 TAG-approved hotels and bed-and-breakfasts featuring special Pride packages. Examples include Harbor Magic Hotels offering a "Baltimore Pride Getaway" Find special Pride hotel packages and other event information at www.baltimorepride.org. For more information on Baltimore, visit www.baltimore.org.
Baltimore Pride weekend provides an opportunity for the greater community to experience and learn more about the LGBT community. Dating back to 1976, Pride is sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to provide support, education, outreach and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBT) individuals and their allies.
Visit Baltimore is the official sales and marketing organization for Baltimore that generates economic benefits for stakeholders through the attraction of convention, group and leisure visitors.
For more information, visit www.baltimore.org.
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
