St. Petersburg–the city that hosts Florida’s largest Pride celebration every June–is bringing queer heat to the Gulf Coast this winter. From February 16-23, St. Pete’s Grand Central District gayborhood will debut the city’s inaugural Winter Pride. With an average high temperature of 72℉ in February, there’s no better time to visit one of Florida’s most LGBTQ-friendly cities.
Anchoring the Grand Central District is the charmingly chartreuse-accented Mari Jean Hotel, the host hotel for Winter Pride. More than a hotel, the historic 1920’s building is a queer hospitality and entertainment complex for all your LGBTQ+ holiday needs. Within one property you will find the 54-room Mari Jean Hotel, The Wet Spot pool bar and day club, COCKtail nightclub, Back Room clothing and gift store, and the newly christened The Ball lounge, making its renovated debut just in time for Winter Pride.
Mari Jean is also quite the sassy gal. The three floor options on the elevator are listed as “TOP, VERS or BTTM,” photos of muscly-men usher you to each room, and food items on the all-day menu include dishes like the “BLTease Me” and “Chicken Gay-So-Dilla.”
Winter Pride’s Opening Street Party and Tea Dance, on the pool deck of The Wet Spot and outside on Central Ave, kick off the celebration on February 16.
Beyond the hotel’s festivities, Winter Pride will present events for every member of our community throughout St. Pete’s queer-welcoming venues. February 20 is ladies night: Snow Bunnies Sapphic Celebration will convert the Lost & Found lounge into a vintage ski lodge. On February 21, the bears come out of hibernation donning kilts for the the Pride in Plaid party at COCKtail. Other events will include Trans-n-Dance, the Pelican Ball and an actual physical “drag race” through the city streets.
On February 22, Winter Pride Drag Race will feature 5-person teams–all in drag–building and decorating a cardboard car, racing along a one-block track and performing a two-minute number. The winning team will get a $5,000 tip to donate to their chosen charity.
Other highlights include a performance by Jimbo, a Canada’s Drag Race favorite and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars season eight, at The Wet Spot on February 20; and finally, the Street Fair and Closing Tea Dance on February 23.
Beyond the Winter Pride events, St. Pete is an inclusive little jewel of a city, with 35 miles of white-sand beaches along the St. Pete-Clearwater coast. It’s also a booming art town, with new public art additions every fall during the 10-day SHINE Mural Festival, when artists from around the world beautify the city by painting new murals. St. Pete is also home to cultural institutions like The Dalí Museum and Museum of Fine Arts.
With temperatures that range from warm to hot, St. Pete is welcoming year-round. And now you have two special opportunities to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, with Winter Pride in February and St. Pete Pride in June.
