Gay Memorial Day Weekend in Pensacola is as its name implies. Gay, Memorial Day Weekend, in Pensacola. Anecdotally, it started sometime in the 80's with a few people gathering on the beach. This has evolved into a huge party of thousands, peaking in 2003 at over 50,000 before two subsequent years of strong hurricanes damaged local beaches, businesses and facilities. Since 2006 the attendance has again been steadily growing and is expected to reach 2003 levels again in 2008.

While the festive weekend is commonly referred to by some as a "Pride" weekend, it is not an officially organized, sanctioned, or otherwise sponsored event commensurate with traditional Gay Pride parades. The Pensacola event is unique in that it is simply a spontaneous gathering of gay people for the sole purpose of spending a beach weekend in the majority.

Memorial Day Weekend in Pensacola consists of two types of events. The most promoted, for obvious commercial reasons, thus far are the circuit parties. They are hosted and run by travelling companies who will set up large, elaborate sound systems, light shows, and hire well-known professional DJ's. Tickets to the alcohol-free events can be over $75 with discounts available for multiple party tickets. The parties often start late, some at 11:00pm and do not end until shortly before sunrise.

The second type of activity, though probably more heavily attended than the circuit parties, is simply sitting on the beach. "Simple" is perhaps not the best description as there are literally thousands of large shade tents and dozens that are elaborately outfitted with themed decors, full wet bars, and hand-dug jacuzzis. Most of this crowd begins to arrive around 6:45am in time to see the last circuit party straggler leaving. If you are not in one of the small parking lots by 7:00am at the latest, you will risk spinning your wheels in the sand on the road shoulder at the end of the day, walking a mile with a full cooler, or trying to time your life around the shuttle service between the beach and some indeterminate place. The road actually closes to traffic at some point in the morning after the authorities have deemed it "full." If you like beaches and sunshine with minimal hassles, arriving early is an essential precaution.

The festive atmosphere continues throughout the Memorial Day Weekend with Friday unofficially marking the beginning of the party weekend. By then the "anchor tents" have usually been mostly if not completely set up and are waiting for the crowd to fill in. As the day wears on, the scene passing in front of the tents most probably resembles an amateur tropical pride parade. Of course there are also drag queens, muscle boys (and bears), twinks, 3 foot rainbow hats, topless girls, leather aficionados, and so forth. Sometimes the party gets wilder on Saturday. Weather has historically been a blessing. During every weekend since 2002 to 2007 it has never rained during the actual weekend. Fortuitously, the rain seems to happen up to the day before (2005 was a torrent the entire drive down only to have clear skies the last 30 minutes of driving) and immediately after.

Johnny Chisholm presents a series of parties during Memorial Weekend. The parties kick off of Thursday night at his nightclub Emerald City which is located at 406 East Wright Street in downtown Pensacola. The line up of parties kick off with Foreplay on Thursday, Stripdown on Friday, Sweat on Saturday, Friction on Sunday, and finishes with Climax on Monday night. They also throw Wave, a huge event on the beach that goes from 10pm - 5am. You can expect to dance to resident DJs Dewight Barkley and Jay - R, along with special guest DJs mixed into the lineup. For more information on upcoming Memorial Weekends, go to www.emeraldcitypensacola.com or www.memorialweekendpensacola.com.

Additional information on the weekend is somewhat scarce but a few sites dedicated to promoting the circuit parties can be found by searching online. Alternatively, the is a web forum for discussion of the event at www.gaydaypensacola.com.

For 2009, the parade has been cancelled due to the rain.

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