Miami Beach Kicks Off Pride Celebration with Flag Raising

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach welcomes the 16th installment of Miami Beach Pride on Thursday, April 4 at 6 p.m. with a ceremonial raising of the Progress Pride Flag outside City Hall to kick off this year’s annual celebration that will feature lavish floats, a queer art showcase and celebrity guests of honor.

“LGBTQIA+ communities throughout the country — even in parts of Florida — are facing unprecedented levels of hostility,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who is an openly gay elected official. “While we want everyone to feel embraced, valued and celebrated at Miami Beach Pride, we also want to encourage everyone who attends our celebration to take a moment to reflect on the trailblazers, whose courage paved the way for the tremendous progress that many of us have seen in our lifetime.”

The Progress Pride Flag flies alongside the American flag year-round outside Miami Beach City Hall, which is located at 1700 Convention Center Drive. Unlike the traditional Rainbow Flag, the Progress Pride Flag incorporates black and brown stripes to represent communities of color along with the pink, light blue and white colors that make up the Transgender Pride Flag. Additional elements form an arrow that points toward the right in a forward movement to symbolize future progress.

The flag-raising ceremony will be followed by Pride Lights the Night event at the nearby Lincoln Road, Euclid Oval (700 Lincoln Road). Sponsored by the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District, the 7:30 p.m. event will debut a vibrant public art installation titled “PRIDE247” by artists AMLGMATD as well as an annual lighting ceremony honoring the memory of the Pulse Nightclub and Club Q shootings, which profoundly affected the LGBTQ+ community.

Miami Beach Pride, which runs through April 14, brings together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, their friends, allies and supporters to celebrate the unique spirit and culture of the LGBTQ+ community in Miami Beach. For more information, visit www.miamibeachpride.com.

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