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Vol. 13#1
“Move over, sister; the party’s here now,” said comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer as she sat down on my lap. “Don’t tell my girlfriend, OK?” she added with a conspiratorial smile.
We were lounging on a cushy velvet couch in the VIP room at Sweet Charity, Aqua Girl’s signature dance party. A newcomer to Miami’s Aqua Girl Weekend, I had little idea of what lay in store for me that night. Nearly a thousand women had just arrived at Sweet Charity from the Aqua Girl comedy show, where Westenhoefer had been a headliner.
While we talked and joked with one another in the 80-degree heat, a steady stream of hottie women made their way through the party, exchanging phone numbers and sipping pink cosmopolitans from long-stemmed martini glasses.
If you’re into girl watching, and most of us are, South Florida is the place to be. It’s no surprise that some of our favorite gal pals have been spotted hanging around South Beach lately. Locals say they’ve spied Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott at the lesbian party the Loft @ Rumi. Jennifer Lopez has been seen at David’s Cuban Café on Lincoln Road. Ellen DeGeneres was at Gioia (owned by Madonna’s gal pal Ingrid Casares). And Melissa Etheridge was spotted recently having brunch at the Palace, a gay café on Ocean Drive, and dancing the night away at Salvation (a gay dance club).
With its Art Deco flair, miles of sandy beaches, bronzing sun rays and its infamous White Party, it’s no wonder gay men have been flocking to South Beach for years. And now, with the birth of Aqua Girl, South Beach is learning how to throw one of the liveliest events for women in the country. And it’s all for charity. Aqua Girl, founded in 2000, is a fund-raising for the not-for-profit Gay and Lesbian Foundation of South Florida (GLF) Women’s Fund.
It’s almost impossible not to draw comparisons between Aqua Girl and the wildly popular Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, Calif. In fact, the two events are not connected in any official way. But with so few circuit parties designed exclusively for women, it’s easy to understand why the two events are linked in some people’s minds.
Now in planning for its fourth year, Aqua Girl is still a relatively young event. Nonetheless, it’s already become a “must-go” destination even for women outside the south Florida area. Last year, women came from 20 states nationwide, from Canada and even from as far away as Israel to attend.
“South Beach is the perfect venue for a diverse event like Aqua Girl Weekend,” says Alicia Apfel, chair of GLF’s Women’s Fund. “It’s an urban, chic place that has virtually everything for any lifestyle.”
The party takes place over an entire weekend in May. If you go, here’s a day-by-day account of what to expect:
Thursday: Check into the host hotel and kick off your weekend with a free welcome party that’s usually held pool-side. You’d better get some rest, because once Friday rolls around, you may need another vacation to wind down from all the parties.
Friday: Comedy night features a solid two-hour solo performance. After the comedy, the signature Sweet Charity dance is notorious for bringing thousands of glamorous women out for live music and a dance performance. Plan to be out late for this one. The bouncers looked at me like I was crazy when I headed home at “only” 2 a.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Grab your swimsuit and head for the pool party at the official Aqua Girl host hotel. You wouldn’t catch me dead in a thong bikini, but no one in Miami seems surprised by the nearly nude tanned babes basking poolside.
A mellow day of sunning, frolicking in the pool and listening to live music turns later into a dance-fest as the DJs take over the sound system and scantily clad go-go girls give the crowd something to look at. Later, Aqua Girl producers team up with the Miami Sol to bring you courtside for a WNBA home game. And, if that’s not enough, you’ll still have a dance on Saturday night, brunch on Sunday and a tea dance on Sunday night.
Author: Frances Stevens |
