Like all commercialized holidays, St. Patrick's Day has made it to some of the most unlikely countries.And Israel is one of them. Along with Valentine's Day and Silvester (NYE), St. Patrick's Day has become another excuse to party. Of course, Tel Aviv-ians would never let such a party opportunity pass them by.
To be frank, I don't mind the commercialization. In fact, St. Paddy's day can be pretty fun: I usually return home from the pubs with a belly full of free whiskey, and a handful of promotional paraphernalia. Take this hat I got last year for free at the Irish Pub "Leo Blooms". (Ignore the deer-in-headlights expression. I'm actually very happy about this hat! )
The Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade has flaunted its rainbow colors yet again and filled the streets and beaches with gorgeous drag queens, bikini-clad lesbians, proud supporters of gay rights and everyone in between. The parade somehow seems to get bigger and better every year, drawing larger crowds and higher numbers of tourists.
This year statisticians estimate that more than 100,000 Israelis and an added 5,000 tourists took part in the parade entitled "It's good to be gay – marching for social equality."
"I have come to say that being part of the gay community, to be gay or lesbian or any other member of the community, is not a political choice as is the choice to protect the gay community and its right for social equality," opposition leader Tzippi Livni told Haaretz.com, adding "we are here to fight together against any phenomenon of hate, to fight for Israel's values."
What I love about the Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade is first and foremost the fact that it dominates the entire city, but with such welcoming energy that it's easy to participate. In fact, if you are in the White City on the day of the parade, its nearly impossible to avoid joining in the festivities.
Throughout the course of the day roads are closed down, colorfully costumed people pour through the streets and the biggest beach, Gordon beach, is turned into a huge performance stage and outdoor bar. The parties continue on through the evening, the rest of the weekend and the rest of the month- as June is designated as Gay Pride month.
People come from all over the world to participate or simply observe Tel Aviv's annual Gay Pride Parade as Tel Aviv boast one of the largest and most active gay communities in the world. In fact, according to Tel Aviv's deputy mayor, Asaf Zamir, nearly17% of the city's population is gay.
"It's a very strong community here, a comfortable arena for the gay community. Two men walking hand in hand is a very normal thing," he told UK newspaper, The Guardian.
To give you a taste, I put together a small slideshow of the events calendar for the entire month, including the parade itself, as well as some snapshots by a great Israeli Photographer, Gadi Gilon. Hopefully this will help you get an idea of the extravagance and exuberance of this year's 2011 Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade.
