Sat 8/9-Sat 8/16
After years of anticipation and some now long-forgotten organizational snafus, Gay Games 9 is about to kick off — right here in Cleveland.
Like the Olympics, the international event takes place every four years in a different city, with athletes arriving from across the globe. Unlike the Olympics, it’s open to participants of all skill levels, gay or not.
And even if you are not athletic and/or gay, there are so many different activities and events crammed into that week that you’re bound to find something that sounds intriguing — concerts, DJ dance parties, church services, theater and art events, receptions, even a rodeo — leading up to the closing ceremony on Mall C Sat 8/6 from 5-10pm.
But first, there’s the opening ceremony, a spectacle taking place at Quicken Loans Arena Sat 8/9 from 7-10pm. The parade of athletes will be joined by celebrity entertainers such as Nsync’s Lance Bass, Broadway musical actress Andrea McArdle, the Pointer Sisters, and Olympic golden medal-winning diver Greg Louganis. Of course, there’s an afterparty — or several. From what we’ve heard, if you’re downtown you’re going to have a hard time NOT running into a late-night event.
Some of the athletes won’t want to stay out too late though, because the competitions start the next day — at 6:45am for those competing in the open water swim and 7am for triathletes. For seven days, there’ll be contests by day — in both mainstream sports (swimming, tennis, track, figure skating) and offbeat ones (billiards, rock climbing, cheer) — and a whirlwind of parties in the evening. In fact, at this athletic gathering, partying is virtually an Olympic sport.
The festival village, open from Sun 8/10-Fri 8/15 on Mall C, will serve as a hub and meeting place for athletes, spectators, and the merely curious. It’ll have food, vendors, art installations, dancing to DJs, and a packed schedule of live performances, with headliners like JD Samson and Men, Bright Light Bright Light, Jenny Owen Youngs, Ana Matronic, and Detox. You can catch some outstanding original local talent too, like Alexis Antes, Robin Stone, These Knees, the Angie Haze Project, Sammy Slims, and the Commonwealth. Drag queen Pandora Boxx (pictured) hosts. Admission to the festival village is free.
Most of the athletic events, which take place all over the region all the way to Akron, are free to watch too, although tickets are required for the opening and closing ceremonies, some of the evening parties, and a few high-interest events like bodybuilding and figure skating.
There’s a schedule of events, both athletic and non-athletic, here — and it probably isn’t even close to complete because there are a lot of unofficial events going on as well. But it’s a start. How much stamina do you have?
One Response to “A Week of Athletics & Parties at the Gay Games @GG9Cleveland”
bob
BIZ crew WINNERS in all this…along with taxi drivers,RTA,bars,waitresses,etc. ANY port in a storm… Trying to chase hip chic wannabe desired black skinny jean PDA Millenial Y generation Yuppie crew? BETTER believe it….CAN pic the numbers guys saying SOMEONE is gonna host this SOMEWHERE in MIDWEST and BETTER US then SOMEONE else sooooo…..SURE some secret hope Natives come in and check it out and find out about new stuff and all that…. COPS love it !!! OT out the…. then again LOT of THESE athletes in good shape,etcand can hold THIER own in a free for all but WHO wants to have THAT and deal with all the fallout….