|
MILWAUKEE, WI - PrideFest kicks off Milwaukee's lakefront
festival season with the nation's biggest LGBT pride entertainment
lineup. The festival celebrates its 21st anniversary June
6, 7 & 8th at Maier Festival Park (Summerfest).
PrideFest's mission is to celebrate the diversity of lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) culture and community,
and all members of the larger community are invited to join
in the celebration. The festival features international
entertainment, hundreds of food and merchandise vendors
and educational and advocacy activities.
"PrideFest is a celebration of the strength that
diversity brings to our communities, and we want to share
that celebration with everyone, whether they are gay, straight
or anywhere in between," said PrideFest Communications
Director Paul Williams.
Unlike any other gay pride event in the US, Milwaukee's
PrideFest presents full-length concerts from popular performers
who have strong gay audience appeal, but who have also achieved
mainstream success. "Great music and performances are
an incredible way to connect people, and ultimately PrideFest
seeks to bring people together," said Williams.
PrideFest will feature comedian Wanda Sykes, pop superstar
Natasha Bedingfield and folk rock icons the Indigo Girls.
Other featured performers include Transgender comic Ian
Harvie, Hilary McRae, The L-Word Soundtrack star Kirsten
Price, world-renowned DJ Tony Moran, underground music performer
Kevin Aviance, and over 140 additional performers.
PrideFest will kick off this year's festival June 6th
with an exclusive Midwest performance by one of the world's
biggest comedians, Wanda Sykes. She has been called "one
of the funniest stand up comics" by her peers, she
ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in
America, and she was featured in the April issue of Vanity
Fair as one of the "Queens of Comedy."
It's hard to watch any form of media today and not run
into Wanda and her sassy wit. She is currently featured
in TV sitcoms, stand-up comedy specials, movies, Jay Leno's
favorite guest, the voice of Crank Yankers AND Applebee's
commercials.
On Saturday, June 7th, PrideFest welcomes Natasha Bedingfield,
one of the biggest performers on today's music charts. Her
sophomore album, "Pocketful of Sunshine," debuted
in February on the American charts at #3, the highest-ever
debut from a British female performer. Her current hits
include "Pocketful of Sunshine," which recently
blazed into the national Top Ten and onto MTV's TRL Top
Ten countdown, and "Love Like This," a duet
with Sean Kingston. With over 6 million albums sold worldwide
and the most played song on US radio in 2006, Bedingfield
has established herself as one of the biggest names in pop
music. Anyone who listens to radio or TV knows her biggest
hit, "Unwritten," which has become a major anthem
for self-empowerment (and the soundtrack for a shampoo commercial!).
Bedingfield has also scored big with the singles "These
Words," "Single", and "The One That
Got Away."
|
"We're thrilled to have a current Top 40 hitmaker
like Natasha Bedingfield in our lineup," said PrideFest
Entertainment Director David Charpentier. "She joins
the ranks of legendary artists like Chaka Khan, En Vogue,
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Kathy Griffin, and Berlin
who have all headlined PrideFest."
For her part, Bedingfield is excited about her appearance,
saying, "I can't wait to come and do my thing at PrideFest.
I'm a big supporter of the gay community, so I'm honored
to be headlining! It's going to be a great event!"
The festival will close out June 8th with a rousing performance
by the Indigo Girls. As one of the most popular folk rock
acts of the past 20 years and icons of the LGBT rights movement,
the Indigo Girls will bring a powerful close to PrideFest's
celebration of LGBT culture and community.
With hits like "Closer To Fine," "Hammer
and a Nail," "Galileo" and "Shame On
You," the Indigo Girls are known for legendary live
shows that inevitably turn into massive group sing-alongs.
They also carry the respect of the peers in the music industry,
having won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording
and receiving a nomination for Best New Artist.
Premium reserved seating is available at $75 for the Natasha
Bedingfield, Wanda Sykes and Indigo Girls shows, but a major
draw for fans are the $13 Advance General Admission tickets
and $35 Weekend Passes that include the headline performances.
Single-day General Admission tickets at the gate will be
$15.
"We are thrilled to offer the world's best
entertainment for a price everyone can afford," said
Entertainment Director Charpentier.
For her part, Bedingfield is excited about her appearance,
saying, "I can't wait to come and do my thing at PrideFest.
I'm a big supporter of the gay community, so I'm honored
to be headlining! It's going to be a great event!"
The festival will close out June 8th with a rousing performance
by the Indigo Girls. As one of the most popular folk rock
acts of the past 20 years and icons of the LGBT rights movement,
the Indigo Girls will bring a powerful close to PrideFest's
celebration of LGBT culture and community.
With hits like "Closer To Fine," "Hammer
and a Nail," "Galileo" and "Shame On
You," the Indigo Girls are known for legendary live
shows that inevitably turn into massive group sing-alongs.
They also carry the respect of the peers in the music industry,
having won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording
and receiving a nomination for Best New Artist.
Premium reserved seating is available at $75 for the Natasha
Bedingfield, Wanda Sykes and Indigo Girls shows, but a major
draw for fans are the $13 Advance General Admission tickets
and $35 Weekend Passes that include the headline performances.
Single-day General Admission tickets at the gate will be
$15.
"We are thrilled to offer the world's best
entertainment for a price everyone can afford," said
Entertainment Director Charpentier. |
