One of a few Gay Pride celebrations that take place in the Southeast during the month of September (others include North Carolina Gay Pride in Durham and Pride in the Park in Roanoke, VA), South Carolina Gay Pride takes place in the capital city of Columbia, in Finlay Park, on Saturday, September 12, 2009.
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Pride in South Carolina comprises a pair of major events as well as a handful of smaller ones - here's a full calendar of what's going on. The major draws are the 20th Annual Pride Parade, which takes place at noon noon on Saturday, led by Ongina from LOGO's fabulous RuPaul's Drag Race - it starts and ends at Finlay Park (here's a map of the route), proceeding down Main Street, west along Gervais, and then north back up Park Street to the Finlay Park Pride Festival grounds.
The parade is followed immediately by Pride Celebration in Finlay Park, which runs from noon until 6 pm and features a slew of cool entertainers this year, including famed '80s pop icon Tiffany and American Idol sensation Frenchie Davis. Also note that this event has an official hotel sponsor, the gay-friendly Columbia Marriott Downtown Columbia (803-771-7000 - ask for the "SC Pride Group Rate"), which along with a few other properties around town is offering special rates during Pride.
Additionally, numerous bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Pride Weekend. Check the main GLBT newspaper serving the Carolina's, Q Notes, as well as the South's definitive GLBT paper, Southern Voice, for details.
Also take a look at the online visitors guide produced by the city's official tourism organization, the Columbia Metropolitan CVB - it's a useful mainstream source of information on the region.