Gay Days Fort Lauderdale kicks off Tuesday

[oceansunshine]

I had no idea that there is a Gay Days starting here in Fort Lauderdale starting tomorrow the 25th. Did anyone else here know?

 

Link:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-gay-days-lauderdale-advance-20141124-story.html

 

Start of the Text:

 

Gay Days Fort Lauderdale kicks off Tuesday

By Arlene Satchell,

Sun Sentinel

NOVEMBER 24, 2014, 4:35 PM

 

The W Fort Lauderdale hotel will be party central over the Thanksgiving holiday for the inaugural Gay Days Fort Lauderdale event, which kicks off

Tuesday and runs through Monday.

 

Held for the first time in Fort Lauderdale, the LGBT*focused event is a weeklong series of pool parties, city excursions, silent auctions and business expos organized by Orlando*based Gay Days Inc.

 

Similar Gay Days events also happen annually in Orlando and Las Vegas.

Organizers say it's hard to gauge what the overall turnout will be for Gay Days Fort Lauderdale, as attendees are staying at other gay*friendly hotels or with relatives and friends. But the outlook is optimistic.

 

Reached by phone Monday, Gay Days president Chris Manley said it's typical to have "thousands of attendees" not staying at the host hotel, which has been the case at its Orlando and Las Vegas events.

 

"I'm feeling very good about it," Manley said of Gay Days Fort Lauderdale. "The feedback has been pretty good, and pool party passes are selling well."

 

The pool parties start Thursday and are mostly free for locals with I.D. before noon, but there's a $10 charge after that for later arrivals. Entry to the business expos that run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday also is free.

 

The pool parties and expos take place at the W hotel at 401 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.

 

"We are working closely with event organizers to maximize the potential for this celebration," said Cesar Wurm, W Fort Lauderdale's director of sales and marketing. "It is our hope that Gay Days will return to Fort Lauderdale in future years as a larger, citywide event."

 

When the event was announced in June, tourism officials estimated attendance at 10,000 to 15,000 with an economic impact of $18 million, but that forecast has since been tempered.

 

Conservatively, Gay Days Fort Lauderdale now is expected to attract about 5,000 people and bring an economic impact of up to $6 million, said Richard Gray, managing director, LGBT market, for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

[bigvalboy]

The link that you provided no longer links to the 'Gay Days' articles in the Sun Sentinel. Articles in the Sun Sentinel rotate with the link, so what is seen now is the news of Ferguson. I posted a couple of other links for you.

 

http://www.wfortlauderdalehotel.com/gaydays

 

http://gaytravel.about.com/od/fortlauderdalegaytravel/fl/Gay-Days-Fort-Lauderdale.htm

[Griffondog]

I'm not sure that is the best timing for an event in FLL. It's White Party Week in and around Miami Beach starting Thursday.