Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend — the biggest lesbian event of its kind in the world — is readying to host the only official Gay Games-sanctioned female pride party in Cleveland, Ohio. The bash will be held Wednesday, August 13 at Velvet Dog in association with Aqua Girl, and will feature a special headlining performance by Robin S who took the world by storm with her sensational hit and dance floor favorite, “Show me Love”.
The announcement comes on the heels of the massive success of this past April’s Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, CA, which broke all attendance records and garnered extensive national and worldwide media coverage.
Impressed with the outstanding achievement of Mariah Hanson and her team in organizing such a high profile event, organizers of the 2014 Cleveland Games handpicked the event producer to exclusively produce the official lesbian party for Gay Games 9 (GG9).
“We’re immensely honored to be joining forces with the entire Gay Games 9 team and have no doubt our combined efforts will turn this incredibly formidable LGBT Sport and Cultural event into the best one ever,” says Mariah Hanson, founder and producer of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend.
The bash dubbed “The Victory Party” will take place starting at 8:00pm EST August 13 at The Velvet Dog, Cleveland’s premiere nightclub & dance destination for 15 years.
“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Mariah Hanson and beyond excited to be bringing such a staple event in LGBT culture to the Velvet Dog,” says club manager Georgina Karim.
Voted Cleveland’s Best Nightclub for the past five years in a row, The Velvet Dog is located in the warehouse district, a bastion of nightlife in the heart of the city.
“The Dinah team is honored to bring our special brand of high octane event production laced with first class entertainment and music to Cleveland’s Gay Games. We couldn’t have picked a better host location than the Velvet Dog, the premiere nightclub in Cleveland. Plus we love the idea of a rooftop patio! We’re expecting a sell out crowd and plan to deliver an unforgettable event, Dinah style,” says Mariah Hanson.
The “Victory” party will mark Club Skirts’ second Gay Games participation. Hanson previously produced the largest women’s event in 2006 at the navy pier in Chicago, IL, showing Club Skirts’ enduring commitment to securing the nicest locations available to showcase the host city.
Presented by the Cleveland Foundation, Gay Games 9 is one of the biggest sports & cultural festivals in the world and comes to the Cleveland and Akron areas August 9-16, 2014.
“Here at Gay Games 9 we are excited to welcome everyone to our region and especially all the women of the world and what better partners to collaborate with then the most amazing Club Skirts. This will be ‘the’ party to attend for all of the women. So, come celebrate ‘Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best’ as we embrace and unite as one, “ says Michelle DeLozier, Gay Games 9 Culture Co-Chair.
Open to all adults – regardless of sexual orientation or athletic ability – Gay Games 9 will host 11,000 participants from all over the world (including countries where homosexuality remains illegal and hidden), and will feature more than 35 sports, band and choral competitions, and community and cultural events.
Launched over thirty years ago, the large scale, weeklong event is about more than just an Olympic-style sporting competition with spectacular ceremonies and parties; it is first and foremost about a celebration of the LGBT community and a celebration of the spirit of unity and diversity. This message holds particular significance as Ohio, while recently ordered to recognize out-of-state gay marriages, still remains in the nationwide race to legalize same-sex marriage in its own state.
Both Mariah Hanson and organizers of the 2014 Cleveland Games see the event as not only a chance to show that the industrial Midwest can be gay-friendly, but also as an important potential catalyst for change.
“Club Skirts has been passionately committed to extending its involvement beyond the actual Dinah in promoting and showcasing the rich diversity of our LGBT talents by engaging in and supporting events that create and enhance opportunities for our community,” says Hanson. “We look forward to Gay Games week and can’t wait to ignite Cleveland’s lesbian nightlife.”
Tickets to the event are $25 per person, or $50 for VIP, which includes bottle service opportunity, and access to all VIP areas in all three floors as well as the spectacular roof top patio that overlooks the entire city of Cleveland.
For more information about the 2014 Gay Games and the Club Skirts Dinah Shore Victory Party, visit www.Gaygames.com.
