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2012 Preview

Save the date for dozens of events planned in the new year.

By Glenn Gullickson

2012 Datebook

Your first look at everything that's happening in the new year

JANUARY

  • The Phoenix chapter of the Human Rights Campaign's annual Her HRC event will have a New Orleans Mardi Gras theme when it's staged on Jan. 14. www.hrc.og.
  • The AZ Gay Car Club observes the Arizona Centennial with the Century of the Open Road invitational Jan. 19-22. www.azgaycar.com.
  • The Fabulous Faygeleh LGBT Film Series, part of the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival, will be Jan. 22. www.tucsonjcc.org.
  • The Desperado LGBT Film Festival's third annual event will feature of movies screened Jan. 27-29 at Paradise Community College. www.desperadofilmfestival.com.
  • ALSO IN JANUARY: The first salvos of a political year are likely to come early. Greg Stanton takes over as mayor of Phoenix on Jan. 3. The Arizona Legislature opens its annual session on Jan. 10.

FEBRUARY

  • The Arizona Renaissance Festival begins its annual run Feb. 11 and continues through April 1 near Apache Junction, with Echo Day on March 4. www.royalefaires.com/arizona.
  • The Arizona Centennial will be celebrated all year, but the official date of statehood is Feb. 14 (which is also Valentine's Day).
  • The Arizona Gay Rodeo Association stages its annual event Feb. 17-19 at Rawhide in Chandler. Highlights will include naming the winner of Country Idol. www.agra-phx.com.
  • Volleyball players from around the country will come to the Valley Feb. 18-19 for second annual Volley Del Sol. www.desertvolleyballalliance.org.
  • The Out in the Desert Film Festival will unspool in Tucson Feb. 17-19 and 24-26. www.outinthedesertff.org.
  • The Sedona Film Festival is known to have some LGBT-themed movies among its offerings. The dates are Feb. 20-27. www.sedonafilmfestival.com.
  • The Miss and Mister Phoenix Gay Pride Pageant will get a new venue when it's staged Feb. 25 at the Tempe Center for the Arts. www.phoenixpride.org.
  • The third annual Fresh Brunch, a benefit for 1n10 youth services, will be Feb. 26. www.1n10.org.
  • The Phoenix chapter of the Human Rights Campaign presents Family Day on Feb. 26.
  • The Arizona Presidential Primary Election is Feb. 28, when state Republicans will have their say about who will be their candidate.
  • ALSO IN FEBRARY: Is the Super Bowl the Oscars of football or are the Academy Awards the big game of movies? Your answer may determine how you're spending Sundays in February. The football game is Feb. 5 in Indianapolis (with Madonna as the halftime entertainer). The movie awards will be handed out on Feb. 26.

MARCH

  • It's time to plan dinner with friends as at the Aunt Rita's Foundation sponsors the annual SAVORlife Dinners to raise funds for local AIDS programs. The month-long events ends with the SAVORlife Grand Soiree on March 30. www.auntritas.org.
  • The One Community Healthy Living Expo will be part of the Seventh Avenue Fair on March 3. www.onecommunity.co/.
  • The first Dodge Hunger dodge ball event to raise funds for the Agape Network and the Joshua Tree Feeding Program will be March 4. www.agapenetwork1.org.
  • The Sexiest Bartender Contest will be March 11 at Apollo's. www.swayevents.com.
  • Equality Arizona presents Gay Prix, a go-cart championship on March 11. www.equalityarizona.org.
  • Bowlers will gather March 16-18 for the Phoenix Regional Invitational Tournament. www.pugba.org.
  • The annual candlelight vigil for murder victim Maurice Green will be March 21.
  • The Human Rights Campaign presents its annual dinner gala in Phoenix on March 24. www.hrc.org.
  • The annual March for Equality in Casa Grande, sponsored by Central Arizona Rainbow Education (CARE) will be March 31. www.careaz.org

APRIL

  • The International Alliance for the Prevention of AIDS will present its sixth annual Hope Dinner benefit on April 7. www.iapaindia.org.
  • Equality Arizona presents Life's A Drag ... Let's Party April 15 as part of the 10 Days of Pride. www.equalityarizona.org.
  • Echo Magazine's Readers' Choice Awards honors heroes and hotspots when the winners are revealed on April 19. www.echomag.com.
  • Students participating in the Day of Silence, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, will be mute on April 20 to bring attention to LGBT issues. www.dayofsilence.org.
  • Phoenix Pride stages its annual festival April 21-22 at Steele Indian School Park, with a parade kicking off the festivities on the first day. A pre-party is set for April 20 and after-parties on April 21. www.phoenix.pride.org.
  • Those still standing can participate in the AZ Frontrunners 5K Run/3K Walk on April 22. http://azfrontrunners.com.
  • Plan to eat out on April 26 at a restaurant participating in Dining for Life, which benefits the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS. www.swhiv.org.
  • LGBT Boomers and Beyond plans a statewide conference April 27-28 in Phoenix. www.lgbtboomersandbeyond.wordpress.com.

MAY

  • Phurfest, an event for bears and their admirers, sponsored by Bears of the West, will be May 10-14. www.bearsofthewest.org.
  • Night for Life, the 17th annual gala benefiting the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, will be May 12. http://swhiv.org.
  • ALSO IN MAY: Participants in Echo Magazine's annual swimsuit contest will be raising funds for a worthy cause. www.echomag.com.

JUNE

  • The Phoenix Pride Awards Gala is scheduled for June 9. www.phoenixpride.org.
  • LGBT Pride Month is marked by two Pride festivals to be held over Father's Day weekend. The eighth annual Bisbee Pride will be June 15-17. Pride in the Pines will be June 16 in Flagstaff. www.bisbeepride.com; www.flagstaffpride.org.
  • Tucson Pride sponsors Pride History Week June 15-24. www.tucsonpride.org.
  • National HIV Testing Day, a campaign to encourage people to know their status, is June 27.

JULY

  • Community celebrities will strut their stuff during the annual Dancing With the Bars competition July 22 sponsored by Sway Events. http://swayevents.com.

AUGUST

  • The Right to Marry Equality Walk will conduct three campaigns to spread the message of marriage equality across the state Aug. 1-12. www.righttomarryaz.org.
  • Sway Events sponsors its second annual Swagger Awards Aug. 12. www.swayevents.com.
  • The Arizona Primary Election on Aug. 28 will narrow the field of candidates for state offices.

SEPTEMBER

  • The red rocks are the background to Sedona Pride in September. www.sedonagaypride.org.
  • ALSO IN SEPTEMBER: Step It Up, a Valley-wide promotion, is a month-long AIDS Walk bar challenge. www.swayevents.com.

OCTOBER

  • The 11th annual Rainbows Festival will have a new organizer when Phoenix Pride presents the event for the first time Oct. 6-7. OUTdayPHX will be part of the event's second day. Sway Events gets things underway with a Festival Kickoff Party on Oct. 5. www.phoenixpride.org; www.swayevents.com.
  • Tucson Pride will be Oct. 6, with the parade scheduled for Oct. 13. http://tucsonpride.org.
  • The second One Community Spotlight on Success Awards will recognize 12 LGBT and allied business heroes on Oct. 19 with a luncheon followed by a business expo and cocktail party. www.onecommunity.co/.
  • Wear purple to observe Spirit Day to support LGBT youth on Oct. 20.
  • AIDS Walk Phoenix plans to push its date back in the hopes the event will occur on a cooler weekend. Get ready to walk or run in the 5K on Oct. 21. www.auntritas.org.
  • ALSO IN OCTOBER: LGBT History Month is one of the busiest for events that traditionally includes Tucson AIDS Walk.

NOVEMBER

  • Election Day is Nov. 6. The presidency is the big prize, but Arizona voters will also select a U.S. senator, the congressional delegation and members of the Legislature.
  • Those in the transgender community who have suffered violence are remembered during the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20.

DECEMBER

  • World AIDS Day will be observed Dec. 1. www.worldaidsday.org. www.transgenderdor.org.
  • ALSO IN DECEMBER: The Festival of Trees on Dec. 8 will be among the community holiday events that are likely to include concerts by LGBT performance groups and other parties.

ALSO NOTEABLE

  • Mix-N-Mingle with the Mercury, sponsored by One Community and Sway Events, gives fans of the Phoenix women's basketball team a chance to socialize and see a game. August date yet to be determined. www.onecommunity.co
  • Tour for Life, a home tour benefiting the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS moves to a fall date yet to be determined. http://swhiv.org.
  • Look for a date to be announced for the annual Equality Arizona Awards Dinner, which has been held in September in recent years. www.equalityarizona.org. -E

California is close enough to make a weekend trip for some of the biggest LGBT events in the country.

  • Dinah Shore Weekend: March 28-April 1 in Palm Springs. www.thedinah.com.
  • White Party: April 6-9 in Palm Springs. www.jeffreysanker.com.
  • Long Beach Pride: May 21-22. www.longbeachpride.com.
  • AIDS/LifeCycle: June 3-9 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. www.aids-lifecycle.com.
  • Los Angeles Pride: June 8-10. http://lapride.org.
  • San Francisco Pride: June 23-24. www.sfpride.org.
  • Outfest: the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: July 12-22. www.outfest.org.
  • San Diego Pride: July 20-22.
  • Palm Springs Pride: Nov. 3-4. www.pspride.com.

Shows we're eager to see

After weeks of holiday shows, Valley stages return to regular programming, including several LGBT favorites.

  • Forever Tango will be presented Jan. 20 at the Mesa Arts Center. www.mesaartscenter.com.
  • Radio talk show host Stephanie Miller will be on stage Feb. 25 at Symphony Hall in Phoenix. www.stephaniemiller.com.
  • Wicked comes to ASU Gammage Feb. 15 and continues through March 11. www.asugammage.com.
  • Lorna Luft will perform songs that were favorites of her mother Judy Garland Feb. 17 at the Mesa Arts Center. www.mesaartscenter.com.
  • Cultural satirist Fran Lebowitz will be on stage March 1 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org.
  • Lily Tomlin will be on stage March 9 at the Mesa Arts Center. www.mesaartscenter.com.
  • Patti Lupone performs March 3 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and March 4 in Tucson. www.scottsdale-performingarts.org; www.uapresents.org.
  • Joan Rivers will take the stage March 30 at the Chandler Center for the Arts. www.chandlercenter.org.
  • La Cage aux Folles will be presented May 15-20 at ASU Gammage. www.asugammage.com