For the third year, New York City's arty Lower East Side will officially usher in Manhattan's gay pride season in 2011 with its Pride Goes East, a month-long collection of theater, performances and parties with the diversity and edgy flair for which the neighborhood's so known and beloved. An outdoor Gay Pride Month Launch Party kicks off the festivities on the late afternoon/early evening of June 4, along Orchard Street between East Houston and Stanton Streets. With gay favorite Sir Ari Gold headlining and a Go Gaga Look-Alike Competition (honoring the pop goddess who was herself, not so long ago, a Lower East Side resident), you really can't get much more power downtown queer.
The Go Gaga Look-Alike contest is open to anyone over 18, and competitors are encouraged to use Lower East Side-obtained items in their costumes. Judges will include performance artist Carmelita Tropicana, the New York Times's Jason Zinoman, and the King and Queen of the Imperial Court of New York. The winner will receive a prize package featuring a night's stay at the nearby GEM Hotel Soho, a pair of VIP tickets to Dixon Place's HOT! Festival, and dinner for two at Café Katja. Other performers on the launch party's two June 4 stages will include the Isle of Klezbos, Josh Zuckerman, Micia Mosley, Anthony Rodriguez, the Door Dancers, and The Belly Queen belly dancers.
Pride Goes East is a dual effort between Fourth Arts Block and the Lower East Side Business District, who, with acronyms like FAB and LES BID, were clearly meant to be putting on gay events. For the latest event updates, follow them on Twitter: @PrideGoesEast.
What: Pride Goes East's Gay Pride Month Launch Party
When: June 4, 2011, 3:30-7:30pm
Where: Orchard Street between East Houston and Stanton Streets, Lower East Side
Admission: Free
Other Pride Goes East events for the month of June:
May 24–June 21 La MaMa Moves Dance Festival, La MaMa, 66–68 and 74A East 4th Street
June 3 Rivers Of Honey, WOW Café Theater, 59–61 East 4th Street
June 4 Glitterati, The Red Room, 85 East 4th Street
June 4 HyperGender Burlesque Cabaret, WOW Café Theater, 59–611 East 4th Street
June 7 QT (Queer Text), Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
June 9 Beaches 2, Under St. Mark’s, 94 St. Mark’s Place
June 10 & 11 The Golden Racket, La MaMa, 74A East 4th Street
June 11 The Dog and Pony Show (Bring your own pony), Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
June 14 The Pinks, Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
June 15 The Scene, WOW Café Theater, 59–61 East 4th Street, Fourth Floor
June 16 Femmes, Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
June 18 The Bulldyke Chronicles, Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
June 19 The Fresh Fruit Playhouse, Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 East 3rd Street
June 19 Revealed Burlesque, Under St. Mark’s, 94 St. Mark’s Place
June 27 Take the Mic, Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street