Category Archives: Gay Atlantic City
Atlantic City Attracting more Gays
IS IT time to resurrect Atlantic City’s old tourism slogan — the Queen of Resorts — and give it a new twist?
With a bevy of cross-dressing beauties strutting around Boardwalk Hall, a drag queen serving as a new tourism ambassador and contests for lavish gay weddings at the casinos, the resort town has a message for the LGBT crowd: Come “out” and see us for a good time.
“The LGBT market is a good business market for Atlantic City,” Guaracino said.
Atlantic City’s expanding outreach to the LGBT market includes a recent partnership with internationally known drag queen Miss Richfield 1981 to serve as the resort’s gay ambassador. The hope is that Miss Richfield, the alter ego of entertainer Russ King, will draw a big following of LGBT customers to town.
This summer will see a number of major events catering to the LGBT market. They include Sand Blast AC, billed as the largest Mid-Atlantic summer gay and lesbian beach party. Sand Blast moved from Asbury Park to Atlantic City in 2014 and is scheduled for July 17-20 this year.
FIBO, one of the largest events catering to LGBT African-Americans, is coming to Atlantic City Aug. 7 to 9 after being held the last 12 years at Fire Island, New York.
Atlantic City’s casinos and noncasino hotels have been aligning themselves with Miss’d America, Sand Blast and other LGBT events, but they have also been launching their own gay-themed promotions. Caesars Entertainment Corp., owner of the Bally’s, Caesars and Harrah’s Resort casinos, was a leader in the gay-travel trend by starting the “Out in Atlantic” LGBT party series in 2009.
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Gay Travel to Atlantic City
In a quest to get its historically gay vibe back, Atlantic City’s first openly gay mayor will designate an official gay beach Monday afternoon.
The beach, at Park Place, is the site of the original gay beach, back before casinos when gays crowded New York Avenue bars, created rituals around the Miss America pageant, and lived and summered in and around Snake Alley, a winding series of side streets that connect New York Avenue and Kentucky Avenue in the city’s north section.
In addition to the official designation of the LGBT friendly beach, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian will also announce three LGBT events coming to the resort, which has been marketing to gays and lesbian tourists in recent years.
Jeff Guaracino, a marketing specialist with the Atlantic City Alliance, a casino-funded marketing agency, said the hope is that people in the LGBT community will “not only visit Atlantic City but also open businesses here and also buy primary and secondary homes in Atlantic City.”
THREE BIG LGBT EVENTS coming up…. Sandblast Weekend (July 18-20), the 2014 Miss’d America Pageant (September 28th) and the Stand Out LGBT Expo (September 26-28.)
OUT IN AC Present Miss’d America Pageant Jan 21-22
What sounds like some saucy entertainment will unfold in
Atlantic City at Harrah’s Resort and at Boardwalk Hall the weekend
of Jan. 21 and 22.
This will be the fourth consecutive year that Caesars
Entertainment Corp., parent company of the Harrah’s, Bally’s,
Caesars and Showboat casinos, has hosted the gay-friendly “Out in
AC” weekend of partying.
Caesars Entertainment has moved up the timing of “Out in AC”
this year to have it coincide with the annual Miss’d America
Pageant, a campy, drag-queen spoof of the straight-laced Miss
America Pageant that made its home in Atlantic City for 84 years
before sashaying off to Las Vegas in 2005.
“Every year, these uniquely tailored events bring in new guests
ready to experience Atlantic City in a whole new open light,” said
Jennifer Weissman, regional vice president of marketing for Caesars
Entertainment. “‘Out in AC’ weekend is all about diversity, pride
and, of course, having a little fun.”
“I absolutely believe that we’re growing our reputation as a
gay-friendly town,” Weissman said.
Other Atlantic City casinos have also staged gay-themed special
events or opened attractions catering to the LGBT market. Trump Taj
Mahal Casino Resort once held gay bingo nights. More recently,
Resorts Casino Hotel hired the Atlantic City gaming industry’s
first LGBT marketing director and also opened the first gay
nightclub inside a casino.
Other Atlantic City casinos have also staged gay-themed special
events or opened attractions catering to the LGBT market. Trump Taj
Mahal Casino Resort once held gay bingo nights. More recently,
Resorts Casino Hotel hired the Atlantic City gaming industry’s
first LGBT marketing director and also opened the first gay
nightclub inside a casino.
MORE information online
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New Orleans, Las Vegas and Atlantic City Resorts Celebrate Gay Pride in September
While Las Vegas has been ranked as one of the top vacation spots for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) travelers, Caesars Entertainment is uniquely positioned to provide fun and exciting experiences at its resorts across the country.
During September, Caesars has created an inclusive three-city event tour that will kick-off in New Orleans, continue to Las Vegas and wrap in Atlantic City. The gaming and entertainment company will roll out the rainbow carpets and demonstrate pride from coast to coast, inviting everyone to Come Out with Caesars Entertainment this September.
Harrah’s New Orleans will kick-off the celebration this Labor Day weekend with the largest gay event in New Orleans, Southern Decadence, by hosting the Grand Marshall’s dinner and official kick-off extravaganza block party on September 1. Voted as Out Magazine’s Hottest DJ in 2007, Hit sensation DJ Hector Fonseca will bring his world-renowned dance beats for a guaranteed good time. In addition, Harrah’s New Orleans is the leading sponsor of Envy, a VIP experience in the heart of the action, and will march through the famed French Quarter in the Decadence parade located in the “Gay Capital of the South.” For more information on Harrah’s Southern Decadence festivities, visit Gayharrahsnola.com.
In Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment resorts are participating in the annual Las Vegas PRIDE festivities beginning September 16. The 2011 PRIDE Night Parade will make its way through Las Vegas on Friday, September 16, with floats ready to impress with their over-the-top decor. Caesars Entertainment will participate with a float decked out with a cast of characters from the company’s Las Vegas-based production shows including Frank Marino’s Divas, Donn Arden’s Jubilee! and The Chippendales.
Caesars will also have a presence at the PRIDE festival with the iconic Jubilee! showgirls. To cap the weekend, a special cocktail reception will be held at Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace on Sunday, September 18 at 8:30 p.m. followed by a special performance of Frank Marino’s Divas at the Imperial Palace at 10 p.m. For more information, visit Gayparislasvegas.com.
Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City will continue the LGBT festivities by hosting its annual OUT in AC weekend from September 23-25. This event will be nothing less than fabulous with Frank Marino, female impersonator and Las Vegas Diva, as this year’s host. The full weekend of LGBT-themed activities includes concerts, body-painting exhibitions, a bull riding competition and much more. For more information, visit Harrahs.com/getoutinac.
BestGayCities.com
Atlantic City Casino Gets a Gay Bar!
WAYNE PARRY of
The Associated Press
reports that For the first time in its 33-year history of legalized gambling, Atlantic City has a permanent gay nightclub in one of its casinos.
Prohibition opened its doors Thursday at the Resorts Casino Hotel, marking the city’s strongest bid yet in a yearslong effort to attract one of the tourism industry’s most sought-after demographic groups.
“It’s long overdue for Atlantic City to have a club like this,” said Joel Ballesteros, the casino’s new director of marketing for the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender communities. “It filled right up and people danced until 3 o’clock in the morning. With the rainbow flag flying outside and all the energy in here, it felt like a celebration.”
“A lot of casinos have done things for the gay and lesbian community, but never to this level,” he said. “They’d do a weekend or a night or hold a special event. But this is what this community wants and needs.”
Atlantic City has long been popular with gays, dating back before New Jersey’s first casino — Resorts — opened in 1978. John Schultz, a former city councilman and philanthropist, once owned nine gay clubs during the 1970s. Back then, he said, 250,000 gay visitors would come to Atlantic City on holiday weekends.
People think gays don’t gamble,” Schultz said. “That’s not true. They gamble. They drink. They like to travel. And they have that extra income. Why do cruise lines have gay weeks? Because 2,000 to 3,000 gay people who can afford it go on their ships. It’s a new world now.”
Previously reported here, The four Caesars Entertainment casinos in Atlantic City — Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Bally’s Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — have hosted “Out In Atlantic City” weekends in recent years, and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort hosts “gay bingo” nights.
“I believe love is the most powerful force in the universe, and when you believe that, you have to welcome everyone,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘You’re not important enough to come to our facility during its peak periods.’ I want to embrace this community because I love them. I really do.”
Out in AC Returns To Atlantic City for Halloween Weekend
Harrah’s Entertainment Atlantic City turns Halloween into HalloQueen this year, hosting OUT in AC, a weekend of LGBT-themed parties and events, October 29th through 31st. A bevy of gay royalty will be on hand to celebrate the Fall Carnival including “The Queen of All Media” Perez Hilton, Queens of Comedy Margaret Cho and Sandra Bernhard, in addition to Whitney Cummings, Jersey Shore’s
Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Richie Rich and more.
The weekend begins Friday night with Perez Hilton’s popular “One Night In” concert series at Showboat’s House of Blues. Perez Hilton’s past “One Night In” events in London, Toronto and Los Angeles have featured celebrity performances by Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Katy Perry. Perez promises a pageant to remember at his Jersey show, replete with marquee talent and special surprises to be announced.
“I am thrilled and very anxious to be hosting my first-ever ‘One Night In… New Jersey,’” says celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. “I’m looking forward to bringing to Atlantic City some of my favorite musical acts and special surprises, and since its Halloween weekend, some over-the-top costumes! With two hosting gigs at Harrah’s Atlantic City that weekend, I’ll have to have some tricks up my sleeve! Double the pressure! Double the fun! I can’t wait!”
“We look forward to hosting the second annual OUT in AC weekend at Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s Resort, Showboat and Bally’s. Atlantic City is an entertainment-driven destination and at Harrah’s Entertainment it is our mission to provide diverse entertainment to be enjoyed by our customers,” said Jennifer Weissman, Regional Vice President of Harrah’s Entertainment. “OUT in AC is a great example of the unique programming we offer and we’re looking forward to celebrating Halloween weekend in Atlantic City with this great event.”
The celebration continues with a charity event at sultry Club Worship at Showboat with DJ Larry Tee spinning for Charity Monster. Proceeds will benefit the GLSEN Hi Tops, a local charity that provides a safe zone for youth facing difficulties at home or school because they are gay. Later on, the party at Atlantic City’s premiere nightlife venue, The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s Resort, will be hosted by everyone’s favorite side-kick, the nugget of all nuggets, Chuy Bravo from Chelsea Lately.
Saturday’s festivities kick off early, as famed designer Richie Rich presents a Poolside extravaganza featuring boys in Speedos and DJ Lina on the decks at The Loft at The Pool. Meanwhile, The Pier Shops at Caesars will host Shopping’s Night Out, offering discounts at select luxury brand retailers throughout the day. At 8pm, Margaret Cho and Sandra Bernhard take the stage for The Queens of Comedy show at Caesars Maximus Theatre. Afterward, celebrity DJ Mia Moretti will spin at the official Queens of Comedy afterparty at Mia Restaurant at Caesars.
Immediately following the show will be a cocktail reception at The Pool at Harrah’s Resort again hosted by the notorious Perez Hilton. Then, the all-night revelry continues as celebrity DJ Tracy Young ignites the dance floor at Showboat’s Club Worship, with a special performance by Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak. The Jersey Shore star Jenni “JWoww” Farley, will be hosting her version of a night OUT in AC, headlining an all-night fist pumping dance extravaganza at ultra hotpsot, Dusk nightclub at Caesars.
Halloween Sunday begins with The Hallo-Queen brunch, an all-you-can-eat buffet-style brunch at Caesars Forum Lounge, featuring legendary drag queen Joey Arias, followed by a Tea Dance at Dusk, where DJ Lina returns to help guests end the weekend right.
Tickets to most OUT in AC events will be available for purchase beginning today while remaining ticketed events will be on sale later in the week. Tickets for all events are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-736-1420. A discounted weekend pass, offering entrance to all events, is also available. Additionally, discounted room rates are available for 25% off by entering the offer code “OUTINAC” when making reservations. All events are restricted to persons 21 years of age and older.
For more information go online OUT in AC !
Trumps Taj Mahal Brings Back Gay Bingo Fun and GAYmes for the Summer
New gay bingo nights at
Trump Taj Mahal
signal expanding LGBT market in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City’s transformation to an adults-only casino city that’s “Always Turned On” started appealing to the LGBT community last fall.
Following a gay-themed “Out in Atlantic City ” weekend of partying at the Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. casinos last September, Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. has begun courting gay and lesbian customers earlier this year with its own events advertised as Fun and “Gay”mes.
Trump spokeswoman Mary Moyer said 300 to 500 customers are expected this Friday night at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort for gay bingo, followed by dancing in a ballroom-turned-nightclub suggestively named “Club O 69.” The event will benefit a local charity.
More gay bingo nights are tentatively scheduled in July and August as the Taj Mahal continues to appeal to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender customer base.
“We recognized a need to provide entertainment experiences to the GLBT community,” said Paula Mauk, vice president of marketing for Trump Entertainment. “We have amenities at the Trump Atlantic City properties that can attract and grow that demographic.”
Harrah’s Entertainment, owner of the Bally’s, Caesars, Harrah’s Resort and Showboat casinos, threw the doors wide open to gay customers with its “Out in Atlantic City” weekend last year. The event featured appearances by gay and lesbian entertainers, parties and gay bingo. The event will be staged again this September, although Harrah’s has not yet announced details.
Jennifer Weissman, regional vice president of marketing for Harrah’s Entertainment, said the Harrah’s properties appeal to gay customers year-round through a series of special events and entertainment. She believes gay events at Trump Taj Mahal, normally Harrah’s rival, will only enhance the city’s tourism business.
“I think it’s a great thing,” Weissman said. “The more all the casinos do to attract more customers to the market, the better.”
A quick train ride from New York City or Philadelphia!
Gay bingo at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort
8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Tiara Ballroom
Cost: $10 donation. Proceeds benefit the South Jersey AIDS Alliance
