The Very Best of NYC Special Events

Winter Heat, The Original LGBT Expo, The Center Dinner and much more!

Chocoholics, it’s time to get sexy for Valentine’s Day! Sex and chocolate were made for each other, and Babeland takes this perfect pairing one step further. Head to Babeland LES on Feb 8 for Babeland Brunch: Sex and Chocolate. They’ll teach you how to incorporate chocolate into your sexy Valentine’s Day lay. Enjoy Babeland Bubbly (and, of course, chocolate) and arrive early: the first 10 customers will get toys to try at home.



Save the date for the rescheduled SAGE Women's Winter Dance at Club LQ on Feb 22. Come with a partner, meet a new one or simply chase away the winter blues at this all-ages women’s dance featuring DJ Stacy, along with performances by Lydia Sabosto and Carol Cole. Proceeds benefit SAGE.



Join some fabulous artists at The Center on Feb 24 as they share their queer letters, dreams, desires, hopes and books without borders. At this unique and extraordinary event, Out of Cupid's Mouth, there will be time to mix and mingle and get to know more about the upcoming Rainbow Book Fair and the featured authors. Presented by the 7th Annual NY Rainbow Book Fair and The Center.

Let’s hit the dance floor! Every year, the Empire State Pride Agenda invites women and allies, representing all members of our community, to an exciting celebration full of great music, food and drink. Winter Heat has been one of ESPA’s signature and always sold-out events for more than a decade! This year, the fun happens on Feb 27 at Arena and features music by DJ Whitney Day. Previous celebrity guests include Lea DeLaria, Heather Matarazzo and Jane Velez-Mitchell.



Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will present Broadway Backwards playing at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Mar 9. This 10th annual Broadway event custom-made for the LGBT community, their friends and families will feature some of the Great White Way’s top performers. Experience LGBT stories as told through the great showtunes and classic songs of musical theatre. Best of all, the proceeds benefit a very worthy cause: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Use the hashtag #bwaybackwards to post about the event.



The Original LGBT Expo (formerly the Original GLBT Expo) returns to the spacious Javits Center on Feb 28 and Mar 1. Since 1993, the expo has helped to present the finest products and services available to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumers, generating millions of dollars spent within the greater tri-state area. This includes queer-friendly vendors from every industry, both large and small, Fortune 1000 and gay-owned companies. There’s always a sensational lineup of live entertainment, too, so don’t let this weekend pass you by. It’s one of the LGBT community's most anticipated events of the year!



If you’re attending the LGBT Expo on Feb 28, head to Queens on Mar 1 for St. Pat's for All, New York's most diverse and all-inclusive St. Patrick's parade, embracing LGBT contingents, community groups, children's bands, Irish organizations and religious and civic groups, all in celebration of Ireland! Unique among the St. Patrick's parades, this event is open and welcoming to all who wish to share in the hospitable and festive spirit of the day. The annual post-parade party will be held at Saints & Sinners at 60th St and Roosevelt Ave.



Mark your calendar for the annual Bailey House Gala & Auction on the evening of Mar 26 at Pier 60—and tweet about it using the hashtag #BHAuctionGala. Every year, this event is a veritable who’s-who in entertainment, fashion, media, business, fine art and design, and they all have one thing in common: they want to help advance Bailey House’s mission. All proceeds from the dinner and auction go directly to providing much-needed housing and supportive services for Bailey House clients who are facing HIV/AIDS, homelessness, poverty and other challenges. That’s a noble cause, indeed.



Join the Center for their annual gala, the Center Dinner, to be held at Cipriani Wall Street on Apr 2. This event is one of the LGBT community’s biggest fundraising events of the year, and proceeds benefit programs and services for our community. It’ll be extra-special and extra-celebratory this year, as the Center nears completion on its capital improvement renovation. The night kicks off with a swanky cocktail reception and continues with a delicious dinner and top-notch live entertainment.



You can’t miss Callen-Lorde’s Spring Fever, the annual event highlighting Callen-Lorde’s programming for women, thanking the organization’s donors, and gathering supporters together to mix and mingle. This year, Callen-Lorde will honor comedian, activist, jazz musician—and community favorite—Lea Delaria! Head to Cheim & Read on Apr 9 for this spectacular community fundraiser.



Celebrate spring with a look at nature’s most beautiful creatures fluttering around in all their colored, spotted glory. An annual favorite, The Butterfly Conservatory exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History features hundreds of different butterfly specimens. Ticket price includes museum admission as well as the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and timed entrance to the Butterfly Conservatory. Thru May 25.


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