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Parade, festival will highlight PRIDE weekend

Posted at 1:23 PM, Oct 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-21 22:22:32-04

The annual PRIDE weekend begins with the popular night parade in Downtown Las Vegas on Oct. 21 and continues with a two-day festival on Oct. 22 and 23.

This will be the 18th year for the parade which is presented by MGM Resorts International. It will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. and will feature representatives from both Las Vegas' gay and straight businesses, nonprofit organizations, GLBT service agencies, civic groups and religious organizations.

A pre-show will take place at 7 p.m. in front of the main stage and the parade will begin at 8. The parade route begins at West Charleston Boulevard and heads north along 4th Street to Ogden Avenue.

For the first time, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers will be marching in uniform with the staff and clients of The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada.

The official after party will take place at the Gold Spike. There will also be an after-parade concert with Charli XCX at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center. $1 per ticket sold for the concert will be donated to the local nonprofit Aids for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN).

The two-day festival will take place at Sunset Park this year. The festival will feature two outdoor stages for entertainment and there will be more than 100 exhibitors on site.

This year's festival hosts include Christopher "Edie" Kenney, Jennifer Warner, Adrienne Alexander and Randy Slovacek, editor of The Randy Report.

Tickets for the festival are $10 daily general admission or $15 for a two-day pass. Children ages 8 to 17 will be admitted for $5 per day and children ages 5 and under will be admitted for free.

Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Oct. 22 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 23. This year's festival is pet-friendly. It is also smoke free. Cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping products will not be allowed.

In celebration of the weekend’s festivities, The Chandelier at The Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip will transform into a rainbow-hued fixture for 10 minutes every hour, starting at 8 a.m. Friday and ending at 3 a.m. Saturday. At STK, guests may enjoy the Orlando Pride drink, which features a blend of Bulldog Gin, lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup and raspberries for $18. Lastly, revelers may also dance the night away at Pet Shop Boys: The SUPER Tour inside The Chelsea on Friday. Guests may purchase tickets at by clicking here.

In addition, Revolt Nightclub at Miracle Mile Shops will be celebrating PRIDE weekend beginning Oct. 21 with special performances by Athena Williams and Paris Chanel. Pandora Mystere and The Revolt Dancers perform Saturday night and Rellika Vida & The Men of AussieHeat perform Sunday. 

The South Point is also hosting the World Gay Rodeo Finals this weekend. Competitions include break-away roping, team roping, bull riding, barrel racing and more. There will also be a Western Gift Show. Tickets start at $20.