Cultural events, beach parties, exhibitions, parades, festivals, music and dance shows, lectures and special tourist attractions are just some of the ways Tel Aviv is cele- brating Gay Pride Month 2013.It isn’t just Israelis enjoying the festivi- ties – organizers expect over 20,000 for- eign tourists to arrive for the pride events, which will carry on throughout June.The main event is the central Gay Pride March, set to begin Friday, June 7. This year the Tel Aviv Pride Parade marks 20 years of pride in the city, starting with a community happening at Meir Park with musical performances, celebrity appear- ances and speeches by public figures such as Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat, opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich, Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On and Hadash MK Dov Henin.The parade is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and is to include a procession of floats and organized groups of marchers, accompanied by thousands of supporters waving pride flags and enjoying the fine summer weather. The parade route, with floats carrying DJs from the four main gay clubs – Evita, Shirazi, ADD and Dreck – exits Meir Park, travels down Bograshov Street, passes through Ben-Yehuda Street onto Arlosoroff Street, and ends with a beach party at Gordon Beach at 3 p.m., hosted by supermodel Bar Refaeli. The party lineup includes live performances by popular stars such as Omer Adam, Michal Amdursky and others, along with DJ sets by FFF, DRECK, Arisa, 3S0ME, Forever, Evita and Popring.Last year, an estimated 100,000 people took part in the parade, car- rying colorful banners calling for equality. Organizers expected even more participants this year.Additional pride parties are set to be held the entire weekend across town, kicked off by an opening recep- tion at Beit Ha’ir. The exhibition “Night Stamp,” which marks 20 years of gay nightlife in Tel Aviv, will be on dis- play.From May 30 through June 6, Hilton Beach was decorated with gay pride flags, with chill-out music entertaining locals and tourists alike. The beach, which is popular among the local gay community and which was recently voted one of the top 10 gay beaches in the world, hosted some of the city’s leading clubs between midday and sunset every day that week.For those wanting the full lowdown on all the up-to-date events, a brochure in Hebrew and English outlining the various Gay Pride Month events was distributed on the beach.The city was already painted the colors of the rainbow, with official pride flags flying proudly along many of the major streets, such as Ibn Gvirol. A huge rain- bow flag was hung in Rabin Square, made up of pictures sent by the public to the municipality through Facebook under the banner “Proud in Tel Aviv.” Also in Rabin Square, the water fountain was set to be lit up with the colors of the rainbow every evening during p ride month.For those who were looking for some- thing a little more cultured to get in the mood before the big parties began, a cul- tural festival was held at Tel Aviv’s Pride Center. The festival included theater, music and dance performances as well as lectures and speakers.As if the build-up events and the parade weren’t enough, the pride festivities con- tinue with the eighth Tel Aviv LGBT International Film Festival, coming to town from June 8 to 17. The festival fea- tures some of the most cutting-edge gay and lesbian cinema from Israel and abroad (www.tlvfest.com).The Tel Aviv Municipality dedicated NIS 590,000 to this year’s pride events and another NIS 225,000 has been invested in a campaign to target gay tourism in the city.“The pride parade has become one of the symbols of the city,” said Mayor Huldai. “Tens of thousands of participants and tourists from Israel and the world take part every year. I believe that Tel Aviv-Jaffa, a city of tolerance, will serve as a lighthouse and compass for other cities in the country in regards to this issue.”The official music video for Tel Aviv Gay Pride Month was released last Monday and features a song written by Doron Medli and performed by Omer Adam.The video, which was filmed on location in Tel Aviv, features gay actor and model Eliad Cohen as well as dancers from Arisa, a popular line of gay parties.Even local businesses got involved in the pride fever.Popular coffee shop chain Espresso Bar launched a limited-edition ecological takeaway cup featuring the rainbow col- ors of the pride flag. Throughout June, the coffee shops is serving takeaway drinks in the special cups, which will replace the regular black-and-white design.As part of their commitment to the gay community, the chain will donate some of its earnings from sales of coffee to IGY, Israel’s gay youth o rganiza- tion.City Council member and IGY chairman Yaniv Weizman praised the initiative. “I hope that more and more businesses and companies will choose to help the community and work towards improving the image of the gay community,” said Weizman.For more information on all the events see www.telavivgayvibe.com
