Gay Days at Disney World 2012 - Orlando Gay Days 2012

From its modest beginnings in 1991 as a informal, one-day celebration at Walt Disney World at which gay and lesbian participants donned red shirts and traveled around the park together, Gay Days at Disney World, also known as Orlando Gay Days has evolved into one of the world's foremost GLBT celebrations. It's also helped spawn a popular sister event in California each October, Gay Days Anaheim at Disneyland. Although neither Walt Disney World nor any of the parks or tourism organizations in greater Orlando actually produce this event, they do sanction and support this week-long series of social gatherings at the area's various theme parks and hotels as well as both circuit-style parties and concerts along with more laid-back revelry at countless venues throughout the region. More than 135,000 participants have attended Disney Gay Days in recent years - the event takes place May 29 through June 4, 2012.

Book rooms and compare rates on hotels in the Orlando area during Disney Gay Days.

Curious about the new Gay Days Las Vegas in fall 2012? Here's more information.

Gay Days at Disney is a remarkably well-organized and comprehensive event, and its appeal spans ages, tastes, and styles - there's also quite a lot geared specifically to lesbians throughout the week. An important link for learning more about Disney Gay Days and actually planning your visit include the official Gay Days Calendar, which is further broken down according to different interests (including bear events and women's events).

Be sure to check out the page on Host Hotels - the official host is the DoubleTree Resort Orlando, which is featuring a men's wing, women's wing, and bear's wing.

You can buy event tickets online at the GayDays site; and there's also an official site to buy tickets online to all of the parks involved in Disney Gay Days, including Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. There's also a physical Gay Days ticket office set up at the host hotel, the DoubleTree Resort Orlando (10100 International Dr.).

What are the key events that make up Gay Days at Disney? It's not easy to narrow this down, as there are countless exciting happenings, but a few notables include the Afternoon and Evening pool parties on Wednesday; the hugely attended Gay Days Expo (with entertainment and more than 100 vendors), which takes place throughout the week; the Gay Days Men's, Women's and Bear's pool parties on Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings; and many more gatherings and parties. There are also music and comedy concerts - performers over the course of the week include. Last year's lineup included Khia, Jessica Sutta, Blake Lewis, Kelly Rowland, Salt'N'Pepa, Deborah Cox, Kat Deluna, and many more.

Additionally, numerous gay bars as well as gay-popular restaurants, hotels, and shops have special events and parties throughout Orlando Gay Days week. Check local gay papers, such as Watermark and HotSpots!, for details. Also check out the excellent site on gay and lesbian travel produced by the Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Note that the organizers of Gay Days Orlando are currently planning a new celebration for September 2012, Gay Days Las Vegas.