Out at the Fair® Expands to Five Fairs, Starts 2019 Tour Campaign
Award-winning LGBTQ+ festival acquires non-profit status
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Out at the Fair®, the Fair industry's official LGBTQ+ festival, expanded to five Fairs in two states during 2018 and has initiated plans for its 2019 season. In addition to the San Diego County Fair – where it was originally launched – the festival is also now held at the California State Fair (Sacramento), Marin County Fair (San Rafael), and Santa Clara County Fair (San Jose) in California, plus the New Mexico State Fair (Albuquerque) in New Mexico.
In October, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation became Out at the Fair's fiscal sponsor, granting the festival non-profit status. The Foundation is one of the largest LGBTQ+ foundations in the country, and the sole community foundation in San Diego dedicated to the benefit of LGBTQ+ people. Companies and organizations interested in reaching the LGBTQ+ community in a family-friendly setting are invited and encouraged to show support of Out at the Fair® through a tax-deductible sponsorship or donation.
During their 2018 convention in Reno, Nevada, the Western Fairs Association, a leading trade organization serving the Fair industry in the western United States and Canada, presented Out at the Fair® – with its prestigious Barham Award, which recognizes innovation, quality, and leadership in the field of service.
According to "Out at the Fair" by Albert H. Fulcher of Gay San Diego, Out at the Fair "...has now turned into the largest "Out" gathering in Southern California region."
"Out at the Fair has definitely become one of the highlights of summer in San Diego" - Sen. Toni Atkins President pro Tempore of the California State Senate
About Out at the Fair®
In 2013, the "Unofficial Gay Day at the Fair" was held at the San Diego County Fair as a family-friendly celebration of the LGBTQ+ community; the festival was a success and quickly embraced by fairgoers and the community. One year later, it became an official Fair festival and renamed "Out at the Fair®" ("OATF"). During the following four years, the festival grew considerably in scope and breadth, garnering praise from community leaders and awards from trade associations, as well as expanding to two other fairs. What started as an outing by a group of friends in 2011 – as a simple Facebook check-in – is now the only official LGBTQ+ event in the Fair industry.
Through the years, OATF has gained the support of local LGBTQ+ community organizations, as well as local elected officials and businesses, at the various Fairs where the festival is held.
OATF includes a full day of entertainment featuring local LGBTQ+ performers, non-profit organizations exhibiting, the Newly Married Game, Diva Drop, Dunk a Hunk, Family Fun Hour, Eat a Gay Bug, flags representing the various LGBTQ+ sub-groups, and all-gender restrooms, and national talent, such as American Idol finalists David Hernandez and Keith London, RuPaul's Drag Race winner Chad Michaels, pop singers Pepper MaShay and Ricky Rebel.
In July 2017, after five years of increased success, OATF made the jump to the California State Fair in partnership with the Sacramento LGBT Center – as part of an expansion plan that intends to spread a message of diversity and inclusiveness to Fairs nationwide and abroad. In September 2017, OATF crossed state borders and welcomed fairgoers from Albuquerque and surrounding areas to the New Mexico State Fair, in partnership with Albuquerque Pride. In July 2018, the Marin County Fair in San Rafael was added to the roster. In August, the Santa Clara County Fair located in San Jose was added; in both cases, partnering with local Pride and LGBTQ+ organizations.
For more information about Out at the Fair®, visit www.outatthefair.com. Follow OATF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vimeo.
Press Contact:
Name: William Zakrajshek
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1+(619) 867-2594
Related Files
Out at the Fair Sponsorship Kit - 2019.pdf
OATF Logo - Trademark_black.png
Related Links
Barham Award 2018 - Western Fairs Association
SOURCE Out at the Fair
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