Get your dancin’ shoes on – a massive dance party and celebration of St. Pete’s diversity is coming to the St. Pete Pier this April. Featuring world renowned DJ Sam Gee and famed Pretty Poison singer Jade Starling, Jubilation will be filled with the hits of the ‘70s, ‘80’s and ‘90s in a “Tea Dance-A Celebration of Diverse St Petersburg” on April 24th. Jubilation will also showcase local vendors and artisans.
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Organized by St. Pete local and New York transplant Steve Harris, Jubilation is a fundraising event benefiting causes near and dear to his heart. Locally, the event will raise funds for Metro Inclusive Health, while a portion of proceeds will also go to benefit the Tunnels to Towers Foundation which supports the families of fallen first responders and wounded veterans.
Gates open at 5 pm on Sunday, April 24th at Spa Beach Park on the St. Pete Pier, and festivities go until 10 pm. Individual tickets are $30 at the door, or get them online for $25 in advance. And for a limited time, use the promo code ILB22 for $5 off from now until the 18th of April.
One of the highlights of the extravaganza, Jade Starling will be performing her hits on stage including the iconic late 80’s single: Catch Me (I’m Falling) and Fired Up, which was a 2019 international club hit single. Starling has worked as a gay-rights activist, performing on behalf of many gay rights benefits, including gay rights parades and LGBT benefits. In 1997, her song “Let Freedom Ring” was used to help further the concept of legalizing gay marriage.
Jubilation comes from long history of fundraising events
Harris is a native New Yorker from Westchester County, and he has been organizing fundraising events since as far back as 1984. His first event was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, and he has since raised money for charities such as God’s Love We Deliver, ARCS, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, The Quilt Project, The Trevor Project, The Center in NY and many others.
When visiting St Pete just over a year ago, he walked down the new St. Pete Pier and from there fell in love with the city. Four months later, he became a resident, and by September he was working with the pier and the city on this new event.
“How can you not fall in love with St Pete,” Harris said. “It’s the friendliest city I have ever lived in. Everyone who lives here, loves their city and it shows.”
It’s that love for the city, and the wide variety of people who call St. Pete home, that Harris hopes to showcase in Jubilation. Coming from New York and living there in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Harris now relives and shares his memories with the people in St Pete.
“I remember dancing all night at the Palladium, and Spectrum in Brooklyn – where Saturday Night Fever was filmed – and Studio 54,” he said. “Those were the times of celebration. After two years of quarantine, it’s time to celebrate life and how lucky we are to celebrate it in such a wonderfully diverse city. The music is going to take everyone back, it’s going to be mind-blowing.”
The lights, the lasers and the music of the ‘70s , ‘80s and ‘90s will take everyone back, Harris said, to the days of bell bottoms and platform shoes, tight perms and late nights at the diner. Get tickets here, and learn more at www.jubilationstpete.com.
The featured event is organized and produced by Steve Harris. I Love the Burg is not affiliated in the production of Jubilation.
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