On the street and behind the scenes, there were a lot of new aspects to this year’s Stonewall Pride in Wilton Manors.
The biggest change, admission, affected everyone. This was the first year of cashless payment, which was a condition put on the festival as part of the city’s sponsorship.
Stonewall CEO Jeff Sterling told OutSFL there were between 20,000 and 25,000 paid admissions, up from about 15,000 last year. In 2023, the festival lost money and city commissioners believed capturing more of the gate would solve the problem.
Sterling says they collected about $270,000 at the gates.
As for how many people actually attended, it’s impossible to say. Organizers didn’t hire a survey company to create a credible head count. In 2022, when the parade route was packed, the company estimated about 50,000 people.
It’s easy to eyeball the crowd and deduce it was not as packed this year, but it was busier than last year, when heavy rains plagued the festival until sunset.
The city came on board as the primary sponsor, ponying up $50,000 after the festival was late when it came to paying a set of bills that arrived months after the festival. A group threatened to take over the permit and festival, but commissioners, led by Mayor Scott Newton, said it was too late to start from scratch and stepped in to help organizers.
It’s too soon to get exact figures at this point. As part of Wilton Manors’ sponsorship agreement, Sterling will deliver a final financial statement to the city by Aug. 15.
VIP: Very Important Parade
The festival’s VIP underwent major upgrades and is receiving rave reviews. A large, air-conditioned tent was set up in the parking lot of the former Wilton Collective building.
Hot food was served all evening, a contrast to bologna sandwiches that some saw being made on-the-spot in 2023. The bar was well staffed and set up to move guests through as quickly as possible.
Parade & Party
Also, new this year was the parade starting at 8 p.m. The goals were to have cooler temperatures after sunset and avoid typical late afternoon rain. Both goals were met. The weather couldn’t have been better. There was no rain, but consistent cloud cover blocked excessive heat.
The parade ran about two hours and had the usual mix of politicians, drag queens, and organizations. American Airlines had the best float, which featured an inflatable white jet taking off. Cheer Fort Lauderdale and the South Florida Pride Marching Band kept the energy up while DJ’s pumped music from various floats.
The street festival officially ended at 11 p.m. and Wilton Drive cleared out pretty quickly. By midnight, several bars were closing up or barely populated.
