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Philadelphia's OutFest And Freedom Weekend Set For October 5-7, 2007 The Dinah’s Mariah Hanson Makes East Coast Debut; OutFest To Draw 20,000 People

Press Release

PHILADELPHIA’S OUTFEST AND FREEDOM WEEKEND SET FOR OCTOBER 5-7, 2007
The Dinah’s Mariah Hanson Makes East Coast Debut; OutFest To Draw 20,000 People

PHILADELPHIA, September 14, 2007 - Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) announced today that a special partnership will take this year’s annual National Coming Out Day to new heights with a Freedom Weekend in Philadelphia customized specifically for the lesbian community from October 5-7, 2007. GPTMC, Southwest Airlines and local businesses and promoters, including Sisters Nightclub, PURE and Ladies 2000, are teaming up with West Coast promoter Mariah Hanson to make this October’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event the most successful to date.

Sisters Nightclub

Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC

In addition to Philadelphia’s National Coming Out Day festival, OutFest, on Sunday, October 7, Freedom Weekend will feature a series of women’s events. Sisters Nightclub will host the opening and closing night parties on October 6 and 7, and PURE will also throw a Saturday night bash. A complete list of Freedom Weekend events can be found at www.gophila.com/ga y, where attendees can also book a gay-friendly hotel package.

Reaching Out To The Lesbian Community:
Hanson, creator of the largest lesbian event in the world—The Dinah—will celebrate the 2007 National Coming Out Day in Philadelphia, which boasts the largest National Coming Out Day event in the world. Every March, thousands of women descend on Palm Springs for a week of parties, concerts and shows built around The Dinah. Hanson will invite her supporters to Philly for an event-packed weekend.

Philadelphia’s OutFest History:
The brainchild of Rob Eichberg, a founder of the personal growth workshop The Experience, and Jean O’Leary, former head of National Gay Rights Advocates, National Coming Out Day began as a response to the second march on Washington, DC for gay and lesbian equality in October 1987. Philadelphia was one of the first cities to organize around the new event on a large scale by creating a block party to showcase the many facets of the gay community. The event quickly grew into the Philadelphia region’s annual OutFest celebration. According to its organizers, OutFest attracts more than 20,000 people, making it Philadelphia’s second biggest LGBT annual event and the largest National Coming Out Day event in the world.

Marketing Gay-friendly Philly:
GPTMC has remained in the forefront of gay tourism marketing with their internationally recognized Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® campaign, launched in 2003. This year’s OutFest and Freedom Weekend will mark the organization’s latest effort to reach out to the gay community and publicize Philadelphia’s vibrant “Gayborhood.”

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

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CONTACT:

Jeff Guaracino, GPTMC
(215) 599-2290, jeff@gptmc.com

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