Be Sure to Celebrate Bisbee Gay Pride Later This Month, June
Every year on Father’s Day weekend, the Arizona LGBT community and Straight Allies gather in the adorable little town of Bisbee to celebrate their pride. Come along with me on one such adventure, and be sure to catch the next incarnation of Bisbee Gay Pride!
When and Where is Bisbee Gay Pride?
Get to Bisbee by driving South on I-10 and taking a right on Highway 80 in Benson. From Tucson, it’s a little over 1.5 hours, 47 if you’re coming from Benson. Gay Pride Weekend corresponds with Father’s Day Weekend, occurring on the third weekend in June. It may seem like a long way to go, but a bunch of your friends from Tucson will be there and it really is one of the better parties of the year!
What Can I Expect at Bisbee Gay Pride?
There are so many things to do and ways to celebrate in Bisbee and the surrounding area, but what follows is my tried-and-true method for having a great time at Bisbee Gay Pride. We call this The Move.
The Move starts at a quaint little bed and breakfast on Friday night. Try the Copper Queen Hotel or the Bisbee Grand, you’ll love either place. I highly recommend locating yourself around the Main St. part of town. That is where all the action is and you don’t want to have to drive back to your hotel room after a full night of partying. The drunken stumble back to your bed is a quintessential part of The Move.
What’s Next For The Move?
The Move is to then walk the crowded, action-packed streets, observing the myriad booths and vendors set up for the weekend. The streets fill up on both Friday and Saturday with live music, so be sure to get your groove on! The town blocks off the roads from car access around the Copper Queen, so begin there and meet up with all of your friends.
The next Move is to head across the street to the Underground Dance Party. I would tell you where to go, but it’s better for you to just head down and discover for yourself. Dance to some high-energy dance music and have a few cocktails, powering you up for what’s next!
The Move then takes you on a club crawl, guided by a drag queen carrying a high heel on a stick. You’ll be heading from bar to bar, effectively getting a crash course in Downtown Bisbee. As you reach the end of the pubs, the MC will organize the flock into a Drag Race.
No, not the type you’re thinking of, this race consists of your drunken friends, wearing dresses and high heels, and running up a small hill. Cue the ankle tape and the ice packs! It’s a hilarious time for all involved and will truly punctuate your time at Bisbee Gay Pride.
See You Next Year!
Still not convinced? Bisbee Gay Pride is an awesome time with your best friends in a wonderful little town. There are some fun activities that I have never seen anywhere else, making Bisbee Gay Pride a one-of-a-kind event. It’s just a short drive South to have an amazing weekend and you’ll even see Darren and I on the club crawl. See you next year!
Have a great day,
TonyRay
More Fun Gay Events in Tucson and Southern Arizona
What: Pride On Parade
When: Saturday, October 11 2014 6:00 PM.
Where: Starts at Catalina Park on 2nd St. and Goes Down 4th Ave. to 8th St.
Admission: All we ask is that you participate!
Official Website:Tucson Pride Parade
Over the past 14 years the Tucson Pride Parade has grown to become a central part of the Tucson Gay Pride celebration. 2014 promises to take the event to the next level! Pride on Parade will begin at Catalina Park on 2nd St. at 6:00 PM on Saturday, October 11th. We will proceed to 4th ave. and take a right, leading to our destination on 4th and 8th St.
The most important thing is to get involved. The focus of Pride on Parade is to allow everyone to be themselves, some come have a blast with us at the block party at the end of the parade!
Thats right, this year the Tucson Pride Parade has joined with Sky Bar to provide a Block Party from 7pm to 9pm. It’ll be the best place to grab a drink after the long parade march ; )
What:Tucson Pride In The Desert
When: Saturday, October 18th 2014
Where:Kino Sports Complex.
Admission: $10.00 at the door. VIP Tickets available online at http://tucsonpride.org/.
Tucson Pride presents it’s 37th Annual LGBTQ Pride Festival . $50. VIP. Advance tickets can be bought on-line at http://tucsonpride.org/ Advance purchase tickets can be picked up at the will-call table at the entrance on the day of the event.
Details to come shortly, book the date and plan on a great time!
Just like everywhere else, COVID-19 has shuttered the landscape of local events in Tucson. We have been keeping an active calendar of all the amazing things to do in Tucson for almost 10 years. Sadly this is the fewest events we have ever seen so please attend some! Firstly, many people are becoming more and more savvy with technology and forward-looking organizations have moved their events online. So please keep reading to learn about all the wonderful virtual gatherings you can attend with our Southern Arizona Senior Pride Zoom Meeting Schedule!
What Is The Senior Pride Zoom Event Schedule?
Senior Pride has long been one of the most active community organization in Tucson. They regularly hold support groups, fun events, and learning workshops. This is to keep us informed as we move through the later stages of our lives.
Some of their re-occurring groups include:
The Zoom Meeting Featuring TPD Representatives will be Illuminating
Senior Pride AA Meeting, Every Monday, 7-8:00pm. This is an open meeting, available to all persons with interest in the AA program of recovery. For example the format is Step Meeting (12×12), reading and discussing selections from the AA publication, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. To attend, please send meeting coordinator your email address: aasrlgbt@gmail.com
Senior Pride Speaker Series – A wonderful group that has brought in some of Tucson’s luminaries to address our community. For instance the Speaker Series is a powerful way to learn more about what is happening in the community. This event comesis to you by the real movers and shakers in Tucson. The next event occurs on Tuesday, June 9, 2-3:00 pm, so go sign up. Topic: Safety for Older Adults: Beware of Scams, Making Homes Secure, and Fall Prevention. Presented by: Margo Susco, Tucson Police Department’s Community Engagement Coordinator, and TPD volunteer Allan Tractenberg because these issues are critical to our aging community. Request your Zoom invitation link and password by email to info@soazseniorpride.org
Senior Pride Book Club – The Book Club meets monthly to discuss the current selection. They often host roundtables with authors and publishers and help bring context to the selected narrative. So the next Book club meeting occurs on Wednesday, June 17, at 2-3:30 pm. They will be discussing this month’s selection: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel, by Ocean Vuong. In this first novel by the 2019 MacArthur “Genius” Award winning poet. It comes in the form of a letter from a son to his mother regarding the effects of the Vietnam War, however she doesn’t want to listen. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/729691730/on-earth-is-gorgeous-all-the-way-through The book was on the long-list by the National Book Awards in 2019. So remember, you must request your Zoom invitation link and password by email to: info@soazseniorpride.org
What Else?
Southern Arizona Senior Pride’s will send you a Zoom invitation that provides an easy-to-use link to access the meeting. In order to get this invitation, you must first send your request to one of the email addresses listed above. Please be sure to include your desired meeting date, time, and a description of the event. We want to make Senior Pride sends the proper meeting link. To learn more about Zoom visit the “Meetings and Support Groups” section of their website www.soazseniorpride.org
Raising funds for programs and services of the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
The first Moda Provacateur, held in 2004, was created by Kevin Casey from Avalon for Hair, Skin and Nails after he participated in ‘Crème de la Do’ in 2003, a fashion and style show organized by an agency in Albuquerque helping to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS agencies around the country. Since 2004, Moda Provacateur has raised more than $141,000 in support of SAAF’s programs and services.
The incredible, continued support for Moda Provacateur from the local salons, boutiques and businesses through their participation and underwriting of the cost of the event, helps to build tradition and ultimately, the success of this exciting fundraiser.
It is the most exciting part of the year! We get to plan our involvement in the most cherished of Gay Events in Tucson, Gay Pride 2018! Vendors and Sponsors, especially, need to plan ahead to get the best locations and most favorable rates. Registration packets will be available as soon as April 16th to help clear up any lingering questions. In the meantime, however, vendors and sponsors can use this page to learn what they need to know about 2018 Tucson Pride!
Gay Pride 2018 for Vendors and Sponsors
Advertising at Tucson Pride is one of the most rewarding ad-spends we do every year.I have promos we created for Tucson Pride dating back over a decade. In fact, I still have the first sticker we ever produced, and I have photos of me handing them out! Check the bottom of the Tucson Gay Pride page for an anthology of past Tucson Prides!
This year has proceeded a bit differently, but I have myself received a sponsorship request, so I know the sign-up process has begun. If you are interested in sponsoring or being a vendor, look for these dates:
April 16 – Vendor Registration Packets will be Available
Shortly Thereafter – Sponsorship Packets will be made Available
Advertisers – The time is now to begin designing your content and preparing for the event!
Gay Pride 2018 for Advertisers
The most important point I can make to other advertisers is to be fun and playful. The entire event is a blast and people will only connect with your advertising if it communicates the same spirit.
I would also recommend creating content that people can really use. Put your message on hats or shirts or stickers or pens, something people can hold in their hands and incorporate into their lives.
Finally, understand the theme and how your message can fit into it. The 2018 Tucson Pride theme, “New Beginnings” offers a ton of messaging options. Keep your adverts new and fresh to take advantage of the incredible size of the Tucson Pride community.
Keep monitoring GayTucson for the latest info on Gay Pride 2018 as soon as we get it!
Have a great day,
Tony Ray
Tucson Gay Pride is known as “Pride in the Desert” and was held at Reid Park on October 9, 2010. Check out over 100 photos of Tucson Pride’s GLBT community celebrating pride below.
