This Thanksgiving will be one to truly celebrate what we have to be thankful for, and URGE Miami Festival is the perfect place to blow off some steam and celebrate ourselves at the same time. I caught up with one of URGE producers, Raul Griffith, to chat about the upcoming weekend event, the brand-new additions and stunning DJs, and why events like URGE are needed now more than ever.
Events like URGE Miami Festival are going to be exactly the kind of event that bring our community together and offers both the celebration we all could use and the sense of community we all are trying to foster right now, wouldn’t you say?
Yes! Not only celebration, but it is very important to take up space. We have to make sure we take up space and that we are seen and we are heard. Not necessarily just at the protest, but as human beings. We have to take up space.
Especially in these times, those words are so very true. At URGE, what are some of the events of the weekend that you are looking forward to most?
I am really excited about our pool party. And I will tell you why, I always like to see people in a very different light other than nightlife. I think the pool party brings a camaraderie around people and conversations that don’t usually happen around nightlife. I am very excited, especially coming out of this election, how people are going to get to enjoy an afternoon filled with music and a really good vibe.
URGE parties consistently offer a variety of events and a variety of sounds, be it a night party of a day party. This year, you once again showcase female DJs which can always use the love within our community. Why is it so vital for you to showcase artists like DJ Liza Rodriguez?
Not only is Liza a great DJ and a woman, but she is also a Miami local. It is important to not only celebrate diversity but celebrate that part of our community that also gets shaded upon. Women have a very important role in our community and sometimes get overlooked. So for us, it is an opportunity to celebrate womanhood and their talent.
This is the Miami premiere of the San Paulo, Brazilian based festival brand GUAPO being part of the URGE weekend. Tell me about layering that into the event.
GUAPO has in the past year, blossomed to be one of the favorite brands in the circuit industry. We were fortunate enough to link up together and they expressed an excitement of being a part of URGE this year. What they are bringing is so unique and genuine of their brand, that Brazilian-Latin flavor infused with the tribal and the Spanish-European essence, it’s just amazing. We are very excited, especially for the decor and the show is going to be amazing.
You are a renaissance person and have succeeded in everything from drag to being Mr. Continental 2025! How do you think you’ve been able to succeed in so many high profile areas and is the pivot hard?
The reality is, that it all connects because it is all part of my community. We are under one big umbrella, but it's different parts of our community that need to have a light shone on them. Because I consider myself a “Renaissance man” I can’t just stab my finger into one thing. I have to be able to explore and where I see a need for celebration and where I see a need to highlight a part of my community I am going to step in. It is our duty to take up space and make sure that we are seen.
What aspect of your career, looking back, do you think you would consider your favorite?
I think that every part of what I have done … I started with ballroom, which went into pageantry, then drag, then nightlife management and production companies and Continental, the most elite of pageantry in the nation. I can’t say that I had a favorite time because it has all led to something greater and has all been an amazing experience. If it was not for drag, I would not be able to be in pageantry and I would not be able to know about production, I think it all interconnects. At the moment where I am now with the experience I posses and the wisdom that I have, today is my favorite place.
Traveling to our community in South Florida I feel, is still terribly important for members of the LGBTQ community all over the country. What do you say to the people that are struggling to stand proudly in who they are, in the face of the adversity we are facing now?
Live up to your own integrity and your own standards. Don’t let your own light be dimmed. It is a sacrifice, and we must sacrifice to put many things aside and be able to stand and say I’m here. Hopefully, we wont get to the point of having to sacrifice anything for our own freedom and our own rights. If we do though, lets do it the right way and the most noble way we know how to; that is celebrating our existence.
Tickets for URGE Miami Festival are available here.
Follow URGE Miami Festival on Instagram @urgemiami
