Everyone we saw at Dunedin’s Inaugural Pride Week kickoff

Dunedin looks a little different this month. The city’s hosted a gay club and a small LGBTQ population for as long as I can remember. But this is the first time I’ve seen rainbow-hued, city-sponsored Pride banners decorating the lamp posts lining Main Street.

Dunedin Pride is the latest in a string of new Pinellas County small-town Pride events that started with SIK Promotions’ Gulfport Pride and John Gascot’s Pride at the Village (Pinellas Park) in May-June 2021.

This isn’t the first time Dunedin Chamber of Commerce Chairman Gregory Brady brought Pride to North Pinellas. With all the Pride events in St. Pete and Tampa, Brady was feeling a little left out in his hometown of Dunedin, FL. Back in 2010-2011, he started North Pinellas Pride, which has been quietly hosting Pride events in Dunedin for over a decade. But this year is special.

As small-town Pride events started popping up all over Pinellas County, Dunedin Mayor Julie Bujalski enlisted Brady to organize an official city and Chamber of Commerce-powered Dunedin Pride. “We wanted [Dunedin Pride] to be as unique as we are,” Dunedin Chamber of Commerce President Pam Pravetz told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

The centerpiece of the event: a Pride golf cart parade. “That’s Dunedin’s way of doing things,” says Bujalski, “golf cart parades.”

A group of city officials, including Bujalski, Dunedin City Commissioner Maureen “Moe” Freaney, and City Manager Jennifer Bramley started listing all the occasions that Dunedin celebrates with golf cart parades—Christmas, July 4, Halloween.”

The consensus: it was only a matter of time before Dunedin started celebrating Pride with a golf cart parade.

Dunedin Goes Carting kicked off Dunedin Pride Week Saturday evening with an 87-golf-cart parade down Dunedin’s Main Street. “We are family” blared from the speakers of Michael Reed’s tricked-out golf cart, complete with disco balls and rainbow fringe. Alongside him, city officials, LGBT community members and allies drove golf carts decorated with everything from rainbow flags to flamingoes, unicorns, balloons, leis and rainbow windsocks.

The following day, several of the same golf carts parked outside Fenway Hotel for the official Dunedin Pride pool party and drag show. Mayor Bujalski, who never misses a good party, lounged around on a rainbow floatie amongst her LGBTQ constituents while DJ Luis Martinez played club tunes from a tent at the east end of the pool.

Drag performers circled the pool once every 15-30 minutes, lip syncing to classic tunes while collecting dollar bills from partygoers. A closing performance from Trans Filipino hip-hop artist Mr. Vyn Suazion wrapped up a full slate of entertainment.

The weekend might be over, but Dunedin Pride Week is just beginning. The fun continues with LGBTQ film screenings at Hale Senior Activity Center and the Scottish American Society of Dunedin on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Caledonia Brewing’s Dunedin Pride beer release follows on Wednesday night, then a women’s luau at Honu Thursday evening, a dance party at Blur on Friday night, and the official Dunedin Pride Gay-Lah at Fenway Hotel Saturday evening.