Palm Beach Florida Weekly

Palm Beach Pride coming to Lake Worth Beach



The Synergy Twins will perform at Palm Beach Pride. COURTESY PHOTO

The Synergy Twins will perform at Palm Beach Pride. COURTESY PHOTO

Palm Beach County is about to get its pride on.

For two days, March 25-26, Bryant Park in Lake Worth Beach will host a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, with a parade that begins at 11 a.m. March 26.

“Pride festivals everywhere are places of intention; safe spaces where we can be our authentic selves and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Palm Beach Pride is no exception,” Julie Seaver, CEO of Compass Community Center, organizer of Palm Beach Pride, said in a news release. “This year, Compass celebrates 35 years of direct services in the county and we can’t imagine a more paramount year to celebrate!”

Pride will be run from the stage by Velvet Lenore, Melissa St. John, Rianna Petrone and Ariel Rimm. The four emcees keep the fun going while adding a bit of flair through their own performances. They will be joined by newly crowned 2023 Miss Palm Beach Pride, Vasti Love Montana, who will perform Saturday and Sunday.

The festival will offer talent from near and far.

Cassandra Cass is the Palm Beach Pride grand marshal. She’ll perform March 26. COURTESY PHOTO

Cassandra Cass is the Palm Beach Pride grand marshal. She’ll perform March 26. COURTESY PHOTO

The Synergy Twins are Sunday’s headliners and will appear after a performance by Velvet Lenore. The Gypsy Lane Band is performing Sunday; the band includes members of the original recording band members of the Village People and musicians who toured with KC & the Sunshine Band and Gloria Estefan. Additional entertainers can be viewed at CompassGLCC. com, and include Antonio Edwards, Lenora Jaye, RogerThat, DJ Wil Mello, Kiowa, the JD Danner Band and S. Saik.

Cassandra Cass has been named the 2023 Palm Beach Pride grand marshal and will hit the main stage with her performance on Sunday. Ms. Cass is an internationally known actress, comedian and performer who has appeared on numerous television programs and documentaries including the GLAAD award-winning reality show “Strut.” She is an advocate for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights and has a motto of “Labels are for products, not people.”

“We want to celebrate our community and one of our favorite ways to do that is focusing on the amazing, diverse talent we have right here in South Florida,” said Adrienne Percival, development director for Compass. “Giving local artists and entertainers this type of platform is crucial for all of us to experience the weekend as family, gathering together and uniting in community.”

 

 

Changes this year include an internal Health Village, where attendees can get information on a variety of health-related concerns, free rapid HIV testing and COVID vaccines provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Youth Village will feature free activities, including free face painting provided by a sponsorship from the Marcy and Leona Chanin Foundation. The Compass Youth Department also will be selling Pride flags that represent the many different communities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. And there will be more than 125 vendors.

Organizers also want to ensure that everything is being done to create a safe space for all festival attendees. No bags larger than small backpacks, purses and fanny packs will be allowed into the park. Clear bags are preferred and any bags that are brought in will be spot checked to prevent prohibited items from entering the park.

Palm Beach Pride is a family- and pet-friendly event. As in years past, anyone under the age of 18 will be admitted to the park for free. Tickets are $10 presale and $12 at the event. All proceeds go directly back into the community through Compass, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tickets sales are online this year leading up to the event and can be purchased at CompassGLCC.com. ¦

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *