Space Coast Pride Offers Over a Week of LGBT-Themed Events

Space Coast Pride, Brevard County's LGBT organization, is expanding their weekend of Pride activities into over a week of fun events for the Central Florida community.

"We're so excited to bring Space Coast Pride to the community this year," Space Coast Pride president Lexi Wright told Hotspots Central. "There's so much going on and everyone is sure to have fun."

The events begin in earnest on Saturday, September 17 with a rainbow run in the Eau Gallie Arts District. The run starts at 7:30 a.m. with the awards handed out at 9 a.m. There will also be a disco brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at PC Keats (829 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne).

On Sunday, September 18, Cold Keg Nightclub will host a fundraiser for Project Suds America from 7 to 11 p.m.; this fundraiser will benefit Project Suds America, which provides our veterans with clean laundry.

On Wednesday, September 21, there will be a special Pride show at The Ultra Lounge in Cocoa beginning at 10 p.m. On Thursday, September 22, the Pride pre-party will be held at Cold Keg Nightclub from 10 p.m. to close.

Friday, September 23 is the date of the VIP party, which will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the host hotel, the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront on A1A in Melbourne. Afterwards, the Miss Space Coast Pride pageant will be held in the same location. After a winner is chosen, there will be an after party at Cold Keg.

The big events will be held on Saturday, September 24. The Space Coast Pride Festival will be held at the Eau Gallie Square and Civic Center from noon to 6 p.m., featuring lots of service organizations, vendors and other groups interested in reaching out to the LGBT community. Then, at 6 p.m., the pride parade will march down Highland Avenue, and will feature sponsors such as Wells Fargo, Harris Corporation, Northrop-Grunman, PFLAG, as well as a performance by the Sounds of Freedom Marching Band. Among the grand marshals participating in the event are Jorge Estevez and Martha Sugalski, anchors at WFTV-TV ABC 9, and artist Derek Gores. An after-party will be thrown at the Cold Keg, with a van transporting partiers from the Radisson to the nightclub. A brunch and beach party the next morning and afternoon wraps up the pride event roster.

"It's so great to see such massive community involvement with this event. There was a time when people even in our county didn't know about us, and now we've become a popular event not just here but across Central Florida," Wright told us.

For more information on Space Coast Pride, visit spacecoastpride.org