After kicking off last night with a screening of music documentary Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel, Sarasota's third annual Harvey Milk Festival continues its celebration with free events through tomorrow evening.
Tonight's art event, "The Silent T" opening, will be held at the Ivory Lounge. It will feature artwork by national and local artists, all focused on transgender themes and the idea of equality, as well as music from local favorites Sons of Hippies and DJ Ansidis.
Tomorrow's music segment of the three-day festival is the highlight of the event, featuring a bevy of local and national acts who all embrace and advocate equality and LGBT rights. The music fest, which takes place at Selby Five Points Park, gets started in the afternoon, at 4 p.m., with the opening ceremony, where San Francisco-based artist John Baden will present the festival with an original work of art. The last band, headliners Breton, hailing from the UK, take the stage at 10:45 p.m. Other acts include Claps, Cassolette, MeteorEYES and The Pauses. The official after party will then move on over to THROB nightclub around midnight, with some of the proceeds at the door benefiting the Harvey Milk Festival.