Right on the coast of Dade (Miami) and Broward (Fort Lauderdale) counties, Palm Beach County is the second largest in the state in the area, and is also home to the fast-growing city of West Palm Beach. , the elegant coastal communities of Palm Beach. , and the small town of Lake Worth (population 36,000), as well as several other notable communities (Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter, and Wellington). Lake Worth, located along the shoreline and just 10 miles south of West Palm Beach, has consistently become one of the county’s hubs for gay and lesbian culture.
In late March, Lake Worth’s beautiful Bryant Park is the site of the PrideFest of the Palm Beaches, the Gay Pride event for all of Palm Beach County; This year’s dates are March 19-20, 2016.
Check out the West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Gay Nightlife Guide for tips on where to dance and mingle in Palm Beach County.
Note that Palm Beach is about a 40-minute drive north of Fort Lauderdale to get to Lake Worth, and about a 2.5-hour drive southeast on I-95 and the Florida Turnpike from Orlando. It’s also a 90-minute drive north of Miami, where the Miami Beach Gay Pride Festival takes place less than a month after PrideFest of the Palm Beaches – this year’s date is April 8-10. April 2016.
PrideFest of the Palm Beaches is organized by Compass, the Palm Beach County Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Lake Worth. The two-day event, which draws about 12,000 attendees, takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, March 19 and 20, at Lake Worth’s Bryant Park (near Lake Ave. at S. Golfview Rd.), From noon to 6 pm each day. Pridefest tickets are $ 10 at the door, or you can buy them for just $ 8 at a variety of places around the area, including Rooster’s and Mad Hatter gay bars.
There’s also the Palm Beach County Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, in downtown Lake Worth (starting at Lucerne Ave. and North M Sts.) At 11:30 AM. More than 140 local businesses and organizations participate in Palm Beach Pride, and there will be a host of musicians throughout the weekend.
Some of the area’s hottest gay bars like Rooster’s in West Palm Beach will be especially busy and fun on Pridefest weekend. For more on the Lake Worth and Palm Beach gay scene, check out regional gay publications like Hot Spots Magazine and South Florida Gay News. Also useful for general tourist information about the region is the GLBT site produced by the official county tourism office, Discover Palm Beach County.
