Queen Latifiah is out and proud, fierce and fab. Her next stop? Fort Lauderdale Beach. She’s the headlining act for the Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival this Saturday.

While this is actress-rapper-producer-activist’s first time performing at the walk, she has worked with the event’s sponsor, AHF, for a decade. 

“Queen Latifah first joined AHF in 2016, performing for thousands at the Keep the Promise Concert and March in Durban, South Africa, a global call to strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS,” AHF said when announcing her performance. “Now she’s bringing that same passion and energy to our beachfront festival.” 

Dozens of organizations form teams and raise money, which AHF matches up to 100%. Local activist FayWhat?! Is putting her first team together and can’t wait to walk. 

“I love Florida AIDS Walk, it’s one of the few times a year I wake up that early,” she laughed. “But the second I see community, I wake up. Everyone is there in full force, walking with such pride. Then at the end of it we all get to party with Queen Latifah.” 

So far the event has raised $2.5 million already beating its $2 million goal.  

This year’s top fundraiser, as of press time, is Tony Lima, CEO of SunServe – raising over $232,000. Lima has sat at the top of the scoreboard since at least 2023. Meanwhile the number 1 team, as of press time, is The Pride Center at Equality Park with over $347,000 recorded so far.   

These funds are increasingly critical as corporations scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. At the same time, nonprofits have lost state and federal funding for HIV-related services. 

Event Schedule 

The walk begins and finishes at the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Gates open at 8 a.m. while local vendors, including health organizations, man information booths. A DJ starts pumping up the mood at 9 a.m. and the official warm up starts at 9:30. The walk steps off at 10 a.m. 

Up and coming artist Rinasere opens the music festival at 11:35 a.m. with Queen Latifah rallying the crowd at 12:10 p.m. The entire event is over by 1 p.m. 

Parking is extremely limited and traffic will be heavy (part of northbound A1A is closed for the walk). Organizers ask rideshare users to use Bahia Mar (801 Seabreeze Blvd.) as a drop off location and then use the crosswalk or pedestrian bridge to access the beach. 

Certain personal items are encouraged while others are strictly prohibited. 

Bring to the Beach: 

Sunblock, sunglasses, ID, comfortable shoes, your fully charged phone and/or camera, and a credit card for food & drinks. 

Leave Behind: 

Weapons, glass, outside alcohol, drones, wagons, pets, coolers, beach umbrellas, and picnic baskets. 

For more information, visit FloridaAIDSWalk.org.

HIV FACTS:  

• The South makes up more than 50% of new HIV diagnoses.  

• Florida ranks third in the number of new HIV diagnoses as of 2022.  

• More than 51,000 people are living with HIV in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. 

• In 2022 and 2023, Miami-Dade County had the highest HIV prevalence in Florida, followed by Broward County which had the second highest HIV prevalence.  

*information from AIDS Healthcare Foundation

2026 Beneficiaries 

Afro Pride Florida 

Aqua 

Broward House 

Equality Florida 

Hotspots Happening Out 

The McKenzie Project, Inc. 

Positive People Network 

The Pride Center at Equality Park 

Prism 

Pridelines 

Safe Schools South Florida 

SAVE LGBTQ 

SunServe 

Transinclusive 

Ujima Men’s Collective

Photo by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons.