Santa Barbara Pacific Pride Festival on July 13th!

Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) will host its annual gay pride festival from 11:00am to 7:00pm on Saturday, July 13 at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara, CA.

Pacific Pride Festival’s mission is to build community, foster visibility, and celebrate sexual and gender diversity while raising funds for LGBT programs and services in Santa Barbara County. Every year the festival provides a safe, open space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and its allies to come together and celebrate this multifaceted group.

After the Court’s historic ruling on the unconstitutionality of DOMA and with the newly restored freedom to marry in California, PPF will be celebrating the monumental strides in marriage equality achieved this past year. California now becomes the thirteenth state, including the District of Columbia, to recognize the marriage rights of same-sex couples in the country.

PPF welcomes a number of local dignitaries who will speak at the Festival, including Congresswoman Lois Capps, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, Assemblymember Das Williams, and City Councilmember Cathy Murillo.

A mobile testing unit will be on site where PPF’s Community Health Outreach Workers will administer free, anonymous HIV tests from 11:00am – 4:00pm.

Scrumptious food trucks, delightful merchants, and fellow nonprofits like Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign will join PPF at the Pride Festival.

ENTERTAINMENT

Latrice Royale – RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist and reality TV phenomenon Latrice Royale is set to hit the stage in the afternoon and thrill viewers with her infamous drag personality and performance.

Exposé – PPF is proud to welcome 80’s musical sensation Exposé, the first girl group to have 7 back-to-back Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and first group in history to have four Top 10 hits on their debut album.

2nd Annual “Put Your Paws Up” Dog Show – Show us your pet’s pride. Dress your furry friend in rainbow gear or showcase their talent with a trick. Put your imagination to work! The pet with the most Pride will take home the grand prize.

The festival will also feature local performances by homegrown talents including La Radia, Phantom Effect, Johanna Jordan, Pretty Awesome, and Deja Ré and the Hot Totties. Additional entertainment includes Hir Bois, Cheer LA, July Cruise, The Alley Project, Saucy Monky, and I Want My 80’s!

PRIDE WEEK EVENTS

Sunset @ The Canary – Pride Week kicks off on Wednesday, July 10 as PPF hosts its monthly LGBT summertime soiree, Sunset @ The Canary, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on the rooftop of the Canary Hotel (31 W. Carrillo St.). Mix and mingle with friends while enjoying cocktails at the only luxury hotel in downtown Santa Barbara.

Pride Girl Party – On Thursday, July 11, head over to the Wildcat Lounge (15 W. Ortega St.) for the Pride Girl Party from 8:00pm – 2:00am with a VIP Ladies Happy Hour from 8:00pm – 10:00pm. This year’s Girl Party will be the best yet, featuring guest bartenders from Santa Barbara’s lesbian community, DJ Felicia, and performances by Santa Barbara’s Hot Totties and local drag kings.

Pride Comedy Show – On Friday, July 12, join PPF for its first Pride Comedy Show at the historic El Paseo Restaurant (813 Anacapa St). Comedy Show organizer Lisa Joffrey will MC for the evening while featured comedians, Chantal Carrere and Daniel Leary, are sure to leave the audience in stitches. Carrere has been called one of the funniest stand-up comics by her peers, critics and fans and ranks among one of the top 10 Funniest Lesbians in America by Curve Magazine. Comedian and writer Daniel Leary is both host to his own comedy show and is the winner of 3 Emmys for his work on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Additional comedians include Matt Portman, Moses Storm, and Santa Barbara native Ahmed Bharoocha.

Pride After Party – After Saturday’s Festival, enjoy the Pride After Party at Tonic Nightclub (634 State St.). Tonic will be decked out in rainbows as it plays host to encore performances by local drag performers. Tickets will be sold at the Festival for $15 and will increase in price to $20 per ticket at the door. Doors open at 8:00pm.

Pride Closing Party – On Sunday, July 14, celebrate one last time at the Pride Closing Party at Wildcat Lounge (15 W. Ortega St) to cap off your Pride Week celebrations.

The Pacific Pride Festival is generously supported by its sponsors: Absolut Vodka, Brooks Institute, Canary Hotel, Classic Party Rentals, Cox, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, The Santa Barbara Group at Morgan Stanley, The Santa Barbara Independent, Tonic Nightclub, UnionBank, Who’s Walking Who, and Wildcat Lounge.

ABOUT PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION

The mission of Pacific Pride Foundation is: 1) to offer comprehensive health and social services, counseling, care, education and advocacy to anyone at risk for, infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS; and 2) to provide sociocultural services sensitive to the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.