June 27, 2011
Atlantic City Celebrates Gay Pride All Year
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 3 MIN.
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Known as one of America's most visited resort and entertainment destinations, Atlantic City continues to grow as a favored location for gay and lesbian travelers, offering a variety of new nightlife, musical theatre debuts, and chart-topping performances for the GLBT community.
Within easy driving distance of a third of the country's population, the city that's "Always Turned On" is perfect for single travelers and couples seeking a last-minute getaway for Gay Pride Month and beyond.
A sampling of popular GLBT activities and events in Atlantic City includes:
Atlantic City's first gay casino nightclub, Prohibition, recently opened in Resorts Casino Hotel as a 1920s-styled nightclub featuring costumed bartenders and themed drinks. For more information, visit www.resortsac.com.
Partiers can enjoy one of New Jersey's most popular alternative lifestyle clubs at the Westside Bar and Lounge for world-renowned DJs, drink specials, dancers and much more. For more information, visit www.westsideac.com.
Ram's Head Inn transforms into a low-key piano bar every Monday evening with Out at the Inn, featuring live music, drink specials and performances. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/outattheinn.com.
The "Best of Broadway" at Tropicana Casino and Resort features musical excerpts from Broadway's most popular shows. For more information, visit www.tropicana.net.
A celebration of Broadway and its performers, "42nd Street" is the story of an aspiring chorus girl and her journey to stardom. For more information, visit www.resortsac.com.
Featuring famous celebrity impersonators such as Cher, Bette Midler, Prince, Patti Labelle, Tina Turner, Liza Minelli, Joan Rivers and Lady Gaga, Resorts Casino Hotel's "Believe - Diva's In A Man's World" is the "don't miss" drag show of the year. For more information, visit www.resortsac.com.
The ground breaking, all-female rock band The Go-Go's, will be performing at The House of Blues at Showboat on June 4, and Grammy Award-winning Melissa Etheridge will play there on August 5. For more information, visit www.showboatac.com.
Atlantic City is also home to annual events with a GLBT appeal including: the Miss'd America Pageant, held in January, is a spoof of the Miss America Pageant and features drag queens competing in categories such as swimwear, eveningwear and talent; the three-day Out in AC event, held in October, is a Halloween-inspired festival with pool parties, celebrity appearances and much more; and the Valentine's Day Group Wedding, Vow Renewal and Civil Union Ceremony, a non-denominational ceremony free for all participants.
Couples looking for a more private civil union location can check out Lucy the Elephant, an Atlantic City icon that has been around for more than 100 years, or One Atlantic, an event space on the top floor of The Pier Shops at Caesars. For visitors seeking a site with more history, Absecon Lighthouse also provides civil unions. First lit in 1857, guests climb 228 steps to say their vows at the top of the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey and the third tallest in the U.S.
The Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority serves as the destination's principal marketing arm, stimulating economic growth through convention, business and leisure tourism development. The Authority oversees the management of the Atlantic City Convention Center and Boardwalk Hall. The Authority is the first destination marketing organization in New Jersey to achieve prestigious Destination Marketing Accreditation by the Destination Marketing Association International.
For more information or to book a getaway to Atlantic City, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com. For more information about the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance, visit www.acglbt.com.
For complete Atlantic City information, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com. Also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AtlanticCityNJ.
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.