Pride Starts Today

Tonight's Gay on Santa Fay event, the official PrideFest kick-off party taking place from 5 to 9 p.m. on the 700 block of Santa Fe Drive, is simply part of a natural evolution. "Oh, man, this thing took on a life of its own," says organizer Rodney Wallace. "The original PrideFest was on a Sunday, so people started coming in on Saturday for it, and all these places had celebrations on Saturday, and then it was a Saturday/Sunday event. Then people started coming in on Friday, and there were big events and parties and celebrations on Friday. And now we're having an opening on Thursday."

It's bound to be a party like no other. The fetish fashion show will highlight clothing from the Crypt; participating art venues include the Labyrinth, 4 art studios, CHAC, Kanon Collective, Translations Gallery, La Gardenia and Roberto Fernandez. In addition, three tattoo parlors will put their best work on display while drag queens and kings and performance artist Hector Muñoz entertain the crowd. Selected artists will contribute a percentage of their proceeds from the weekend to gay-oriented charities; look for the pink Mona Lisa on wall labels to find them. Visit www.gayonsantafay.com or call 720-203-1944.
Thu., June 21, 5-9 p.m.