Mark Your Calendars

Summer may have come to its unofficial end, but that doesn't mean the fun has to stop. In fact, the months leading up to the holidays are usually jam-packed with events, festivals and other happenings. Here are a few you may want to attend:

Miami Beach, Florida - Celebrate Orgullo (photo above), a month-long event showcasing Hispanic heritage and LGBT Pride that includes "Lip Synching for Your Life" at Senor Frog's Drag Brunch, The Betsy Jazz & Poetry Festival and a food tour of Little Havana. September 15 - October 16. Go to celebrateorgullo.com for complete list of events.

Miami Beach, Florida - The Pink Flamingo Awards are back to Jungle Island for their fourth outing, recognizing the people, places and organizations that have made an extraordinary impact on the South Florida LGBT community. Award categories include Favorite Drag Queen, Favorite Resort Hotel and more. September 22. Get tickets and other information at pinkflamingoawards.com.

San Francisco, California - StartOut, the leading national nonprofit dedicated to empowering LGBT business leaders, will be holding its 5th Annual Awards night with actor Leslie Jordan as its host. This year's recipients include Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and now Head of Global Hospitality & Strategy at Airbnb; Here Media, the publisher of OutTraveler; and other LGBT entrepreneurs. September 22. Get tickets by contacting info@startout.org. 

Orlando, Florida - Celebrate local LGBT culture with a three-day long Come Out with Pride festival that includes a Hamburger Mary's Street Party, a Big Gay Brunch sponsored by Orlando Weekly, fireworks, and, as you may suspect, a parade. October 6 - 8. Go to comeoutwithpride.com for all the details.

Seattle, Washington - The 21st annual Twist Seattle Queer Film Festival (it was previously called the Seattle Gay & Lesbian Film Festival) has expanded its program this year to include an art exhibit, pop-up marketplace, live discussions, parties, TWIST360 (which is something called a virtual reality sidebar, presented by Oculus) and, of course, plenty of films like the world premier of Torrey Pines (trailer below). October 13 - 23. Visit twistfilmfest.org for complete rundown and tickets.

Palm Springs, California - This year's event, Palm Springs Pride recently named writer and producer, Del Shores, its "Grand Marshal"; singer Nicky Ciampoli as its "Community Grand Marshal"; and, the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting as its "National Grand Marshals." In addition to the parade, there is a whole weekend of events including a Pride festival, which is free to attend. November 1 - 6. Visit pspride.org for festival information.