7th Annual Miami Beach Gay Pride :: Your Guide to All the Exciting Events

Ever since the very first Miami Beach Gay Pride celebration in 2009, the response from the South Florida LGBT community has been tremendous, outpacing anyone's expectations or dreams. Now Miami Beach Gay Pride is one of the largest pride celebrations not just in Florida, but in the entire Southeast United States.

This year's celebrations are spread out across three days, Friday, April 10, Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12, with a beach party, parade, festival, and so much more, not to mention opening events that will occur just as the weekend is kicking off. Here's a guide to all of the happening events that are taking place for Miami Beach Gay Pride.

Thursday, April 9

The very first event this year is the Miami Beach Gay Pride welcome party, which is free to attend. It will be held at the Hotel Gaythering (1409 Lincoln Road). All attendees will receive a complimentary one-day pass to the hotel's men's self-spa.

Friday, April 10

The stages will be setting up along Ocean Drive today, and the Vapor Shark Stage at 11th Street will be the venue for the festival's official opening night party, featuring DJs and other live entertainment. The party will start at 6 p.m. and will go on until 10 p.m. Also at 11th and Ocean, there will be a red carpet VIP kick-off reception with a special VIP lounge built right on the beach. That party starts at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $75 in advance and $100 at the door. Finally, there will be a dance party called Entourage at Score (1437 Washington Avenue), starting at 10 p.m. and featuring music by DJ Sherock. Admission prices are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Saturday, April 11

Saturday's events begin as Friday's events are winding down. The Vapor Shark Stage will be playing music and featuring entertainment acts all night long, with a special set by DJ Tony Moran. Enjoy the sounds overnight between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. At 8 a.m., there will be a free concert by the New World Symphony at Miami Beach SoundScape's New World Center (500 17th Street). Under the direction of conductors St�phane Den�ve and Christian Reif, the symphony will play "Summer Pastoral" by Honegger and the Suite from "The Model Animals" by Poulenc, ending with Symphony No. 3 by Saint-Sa�ns. At 9 a.m. the Miami Beach Gay Pride 5k Run will start from Lummus Park and take runners on a picturesque 3.1-mile route throughout South Beach. Registration is $30 and can be done online via the Miami Beach Gay Pride website.

Starting at 11 a.m., The AHF Stage at 13th Street will begin playing music and presenting entertainment acts. The AHF Stage begins Saturday with performances by singer-songwriter Diana Espir. At the Vapor Shark Stage, a press conference will be held featuring Mario Lopez at noon.

Then of course there is the festival, which opens at 10 a.m. and will be open for two days (opening from 11 a.m. on Sunday). There will be over 100 exhibitors in this area, and there will also be a family-friendly area. 100% of the proceeds from the cash bars in the festival area will go directly to Miami Beach Gay Pride.

There are two dance parties this evening, both starting at 10 p.m. The first is Urge, the perennial Pride favorite which will be held for another year at Score. DJs Abel and Paulo will be spinning sets back to back. Early bird tickets cost $30; for more information on ticket purchases, visit urgemiami.com. The second is M�nage � Trois, which will feature music by DJ Whitney Day, DJ Vanessa B and DJ Citizen Jane. It will be held at Steam (30 NE 14th Street) and tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Sunday, April 12

Enjoy brunch before the parade and festival! There will be brunches all over Miami Beach, starting at 10:30 a.m. The Clevelander Hotel, TIDES Hotel, and Palace Bar will all be open for brunch. There will also be an invite-only pre-parade brunch and reception at TD Bank at the corner of 5th Street and Collins Avenue.

The festival kicks off its second day at 11 a.m. at Lummus Park. Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride 2013 Tiffany Fantasia and NBC 6 South Florida anchor Roxanne Vargas will provide commentary of the upcoming parade at the TD Bank Grandstand Stage starting at 11:30 a.m. The area, which will also have seating, will be open with tickets priced online at $25 each.

At noon, the pride parade will start from Ocean and 5th Street, taking participants and floats down Ocean to 15th Street. Mario Lopez, host of the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine Extra, will be the parade's grand marshal. Opening ceremonies will be held between 1:30 and 2 p.m. on the Vapor Shark Stage, featuring Mario Lopez and Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine.

Entertainment will start in the 1 p.m. hour across all the Miami Beach Gay Pride stages, and will play on throughout the afternoon and into the evening. The Vapor Shark Stage will be welcoming DJs and performers throughout the day, such as the new Ms. Miami Beach Gay Pride, the Crunch Dancers, WildChild, Natalie La Rose, Erika Jayne, DJ Tracy Young, and Deborah Cox. The AHF Stage at 13th Street will feature Latin DJs, bands and singers. The Palace stage at 12th Street will showcase some flawless performers, alongside DJs and other entertainment acts. On the TD Bank Stage at 11th and Ocean, performers local to South Florida will take the stage, with Envee as host. Pridelines will be hosting their annual youth dance starting at 6 p.m. at the Miami Beach LGBT Visitor Center.

Fireworks will mark the end of the festival at 9 p.m. People are welcome to view the beautiful display at and around the Vapor Shark Stage, the AHF Stage and the Palace Stage. Afterwards, the Salvation Sunday dance party will be held at Score and will feature sets by DJs Cindel and Ivan Gomez. Early bird tickets are available for $15 per person; purchase them online at urgemiami.com.

Not ready for the weekend to be over? You can purchase a week-long Pride at Sea cruise package, with prices from $429 per person. Sail for five days on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas and enjoy Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West. For more information, call (888) 768-7238.

For more information on the pride celebrations, and how to purchase advance tickets, visit miamibeachgaypride.com