Produced by the well-funded and extremely well-organized Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Colorado, Denver's fabulous PrideFest takes place over two days in late June. The dates in 2009 are Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28. More than 250,000 participants attended Denver Gay Pride last year, and the numbers are expected to climb this year.
Shop for deals on hotel rooms in Denver during Gay Pride
Here's a quick look at the events that made up Denver's Gay Pride celebration in 2009.
Before the big weekend, there are several cool events leading up to the festivities, among them a free PrideFest Around the World Parties, a PrideFest Women's Party, the tHERe Annual White Party on the Saturday night of PrideFest, and several other fetes and gatherings.
Denver PrideFest takes place on Saturday, June 27, from 11 am until 8 pm, and on Sunday, June 28, from 10 am until 6 pm. The setting is downtown's centrally situated Civic Center Park, at Colfax Avenue and Broadway, right in the shadow of the gilt-domed Colorado State Capitol building. Admission to the festival is free, and two stages will feature an exciting range of talents, including the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, Traci Kerns, God-des & She, Gravity Defied Theatre, Jill Brzezicki, Chasing Jenny, Nina Flowers, Matthew Rush, and headliner Deborah Gibson.
Also on Saturday, June 27, the first ever Denver Dyke March takes place. The march begins outside the gay bar Charlie's (at E. Colfax Ave. and Emerson St.) and proceeds west along Colfax to the Pridefest festival grounds at Civic Center Park. Dykes on Bykes will lead the procession, and at the festival, related speakers and entertainers include Dee Galloway and Shelvis.
Rise and shine early on Sunday, June 28, to partake of Denver's 34th Annual Gay Pride Parade, which commences at 9:30 am in verdant Cheesman Park, off E. 8th Avenue at Williams Street. The procession continues west along Colfax Avenue, finishing at the PrideFest in Civic Center Park.
Additionally, plenty of gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops throughout Denver will be extra busy during this busy time, and catering heavily to LGBT visitors. Check local gay papers, such as OutFront Colorado, and also check out the GLBT travel page at the Denver CVB's Website.
