Florida LGBTQ+ Festival Thrives in Wake of Don’t Say Gay

The 12th annual Pride Be Fabulous Arts & Music Festival returns to Sarasota, Florida this week. Formerly known as the Harvey Milk Festival in honor of the late iconic politician, the festival runs May 10-12 at various venues in the city’s Rosemary District. The festival concludes Saturday with a free concert headlined by alt-pop musician Jax Anderson and queer-pop artist SuperKnova.

The festival is produced by the Fabulous Arts Foundation and kicks off on Thursday with a “Just Say Gay & Trans” art exhibition at DreamLarge. Friday features a dance and performance art gathering at the Players Studio where Jess Pope and Amber McNew will perform their homage to the queer culture of 1960s Lexington, Kentucky, entitled “Pagan Babies.” Following Saturday's concert, the festival concludes Saturday evening at a post-concert afterparty at the Oasis Restaurant and Bar.

Saturday’s concert takes place at Rosemary Park located at 531 Central Avenue in Sarasota. In addition to Anderson and SuperKnova, other performers include Hovercar, MeteorEYES, Lalo, and Grace Cespedes.

Last year’s festival was a two-week combination of the Be Fabulous Arts & Music Festival and the Fabulous Independent Film Festival. This year’s film festival will take place in September as a separate event, and a special drag culture festival will also debut in November and December.

For more information on the schedule of event and to purchase tickets, visit the Pride Be Fabulous website at fabaf.org or eventbrite.com.