Tel Aviv pride parade (archives)
Photo: Yaron Brener
Tel Aviv plans gay centennial celebrations
NIS 400,000 budget to include upgraded pride parade with dog-stylist corner, mass gay picnic, book fair, film festival, and more in celebration of city's 100th birthday
As part of Tel Aviv's centennial celebrations, the celebrations board has allocated the sum of NIS 100,000 ($23,700) towards the city's homosexual community, out of a total festivities budget of NIS 44 million ($10.4 million).
Despite the meager amount, aside from the NIS 300,000 ($71,400) budget of the annual gay pride parade, the homosexual community plans to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Middle East's gay capital.
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In recent weeks a number of meetings were held on the subject, and events that will be spread out through the month of June have already been discussed, including an exhibition of artist Rafi Peretz's work, and his portraits of the community's central activists in the city's municipal gay community center.
Other initiatives brought up in the meetings include the screening of movies in the community center's yard, a gay book fair at the Cinematheque's annual gay film festival, and more.
The project is headed by Tel Aviv Council Member and advisor to the mayor on affairs of the homosexual community Yaniv Weizman.
The traditional pride parade, to be held on June 12, will be significantly upgraded. As in previous years, the parade will leave from Gan Meir Park on King George Street, but this time, a pre-parade fair will begin at 10 am, and will include various PR and activity booths, and a first-of-its-kind gay picnic in the park, with unique picnic sets on sale.
Another idea raised in recent days was that a dog stylist stand be operated in the park, to prepare dogs for the parade, so they can march in style.
At this point there are no plans to change the route of the parade itself, but the party at the end of the route at Gordon Beach, will also be upgraded, and will possibly span two stages.
