​​For 15 years, a festival that began as a grassroots tribute to LGBTQ rights icon Harvey Milk has grown into one of the most enduring celebrations in Sarasota. Now known as the Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest, the event returns this week with concerts, exhibits and community gatherings, all culminating in a free outdoor concert at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota on May 10.

The festival kicks off Thursday, May 8, with the opening of Rooted & Radical, a free art show at the Fabulous Arts Foundation’s new LGBTQ+ community center. Featuring work by queer and trans artists, the exhibit explores themes of resilience and reclamation.

On Friday, the center will host Tea4T, a drag open mic for those 18 and older that gives stage time to both veteran and emerging performers.

The celebration culminates with the concert at Five Points Park on Saturday. The lineup includes indie-pop artist Berra, Atlanta-based DJ GeeXella, and Sarasota’s own MeteorEYES, Hovercar, Merge Eleven and Diversity: Voices of Sarasota. 

“Seeing yourself on stage matters,” says Shannon Fortner, founder and executive director of the Fabulous Arts Foundation. “Visibility and accessibility aren’t just words to us. We’re creating a space where people can feel affirmed and find connection.”

Fortner has spent the last year expanding the foundation’s offerings through the launch of its LGBTQ+ center, which provides everything from support groups to mental health referrals to monthly programs. “We opened early this year and already, people are telling me they’ve made friends for life,” Fortner says. “That’s everything we hoped it would be.”

One new program, "They, Them, and Friends," kicks off today and will offer a monthly opportunity for people to learn about gender-affirming care and access mental health services. “We’ve had conversations about how rushed some folks feel in clinical settings,” Fortner says. “It can take time to explore identity, especially for non-binary people. We want to hold space for that journey.”

That idea of holding space is woven into the fabric of the festival. “Post-pandemic, people have felt isolated,” Fortner says. “This is about creating a home in the heart of downtown where everyone is welcome.”

The City of Sarasota will also fly the Pride flag at City Hall throughout the week, a visible reminder of the event’s reach and resonance and an initiative Fortner championed before the city commission. “Even if someone’s just driving through town, seeing that flag might make their day,” Fortner says. “Especially right now, when the political climate can feel heavy.”

That heaviness shifted slightly this spring when Florida’s LGBTQ+ community celebrated an unexpected victory: every anti-LGBTQ bill proposed in the 2025 legislative session was defeated. The measures included attempts to ban Pride flags from government property, restrict discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in public settings and defund local diversity and inclusion efforts.

Advocates credit a wave of grassroots mobilization. Students, seniors, teachers and faith leaders flooded the Capitol in Tallahassee., and more than 400 people and nonprofit groups participated in civil rights organization Equality Florida’s largest-ever advocacy week, lobbying legislators, testifying in hearings, and demanding to be heard.

Fortner, who has long balanced artistry with activism, sees that momentum as a backdrop to this year’s festival. “It wasn’t just one organization,” they say. “It was everyday people showing up. And now, when we gather, it’s not just to celebrate—we’re honoring the work it took to get here.”

After 15 years, the festival’s mission remains unchanged. “We started out as Harvey Milk Festival, and the intention has always been the same: create space for people to be themselves," Fortner says. "The proceeds go back into free programming. The legacy is the community, and we’re just getting started.”

The Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest takes place on Saturday, May 10, at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota. Admission is free. For more information about the event and other programming this week, click here.