IT'S NOT TABOO TO SHAKE YOUR QUEER BOOTY WITH PRIDE!

It's not taboo to shake your queer booty with pride; as a matter of fact, it is your constitutional right to do so in celebration of queer liberation and freedom wherever you choose to be!

This is the advice from gay entertainment production company, Queer City (Qc), for Joburg's queer community during the upcoming Lesbian & Gay Pride celebrations.

"Despite the embarrassing clutch bag slinging around Africa's largest annual Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade about who owns what, who owes who and who did what to whom, Joburg's gay and lesbian community will yet again rise above those egocentric individuals to unite in celebration all over Gauteng after the official parade," said Pieter Rossouw, one of Qc's founding members.  "At least those bickering about where we are suppose to exercise our constitutional rights are doing us proud in some way by publicly expressing a queer national pastime - bitching!"

Qc has teamed up with Chris Coutroulis to organize the Mega Pride 06 party at Taboo on Saturday, 30 September 2006.

Having already presented four such events that thrilled an appreciative and dedicated following and packed the ultra lush Taboo club to capacity during the inaugural Male Underwear Fashion Show and Sandton Trash Bar parties and the more recent Absolut White Ball, Qc is now gearing up to launch and grow Joburg's ailing Gay Pride festivities as an international event on par with Rio, Sydney, London and Berlin.

With his highly experienced business partner, Bruce Walker, they plan to achieve this by targeting upmarket venues around Joburg's northern suburbs as platforms to present unique one-off entertainment experiences for well-heeled gay late-night revellers.

"Each event, presented monthly, has a specific theme along the lines of the internationally renowned Sydney Mardi Gras and UK circuit parties and is sponsored by international brand names such as Miller, Absolut Vodka, Nickel For Men and BOD Man" said Pieter.

During the Lesbian & Gay Pride celebrations Sandton's Taboo club and its outside surroundings will be transformed into an entertainment area hosting an expected 4000 patrons on three dance floors surrounded by five bars, two outside seating and relaxation areas, a beach complete with a hot tub, a restaurant, food stalls and a Queer City VIP Citizen area.

The closet doors will be flung open at midday with the festivities starting at 15h00.  Expect live performances by Danny K, blond Idol Jacques, Pam Anderson, UK DJ Femi B alongside eleven South African DJ's and a host of different artists lasting for fourteen hours until 05h00.

"It is all about visual excitement in luxurious surroundings," said Pieter, explaining the mood and feel of this and future events.

He also announced that, for the first time ever, most of Gauteng's gay bars and clubs will unite to host individual Mega Pride parties during the week leading up to the Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade.  These include:

Watch the press or visit these venue's websites for details.

Queer City is as much an entertainment production house as it is a Pink Rand marketing company driving a tried and tested concept with a niche pink twist.  "By controlling both the entertainment and marketing functions we are able to not only offer upmarket entertainment to a gay consumer market who had to travel abroad to experience anything on this scale, but also niche opportunities for consumer companies wishing to grow their brands amongst a high-end double-income-no-kids consumer group," he said.

He argues that gay consumers take notice of brands that support a gay lifestyle or address gay issues directly.  "Traditional marketing and advertising tools are often too expensive or may even alienate conservative groups who inevitably end up in the crossfire.  A niche approach will not only overcome most of these traditional obstacles, but also allows the brand and its salespeople to become part of the event and align themselves with their target market."

He explained that Qc aims to compile the most comprehensive gay database in South Africa through these events and strategic partnerships with the country's busiest gay lifestyle portals, MambaOnline.com and SceneOut.co.za, and South Africa's largest monthly gay newspaper, EXIT.  "This inevitably means that we will take the Queer City parties to different cities around the country from time to time, a concept that has worked well around the globe for brands such as the Ministry of Sound parties.

"This allows us to offer our clients effective and affordable tools to promote their brands to Pink Rand shoppers," he concluded.  These tools include e-flyers, sms campaigns and competitions, website links and e-mail communication.

Concert promoters have also noticed the Queer City parties and have expressed an interest to stage one-off events for gay audiences during national concert tours by international artists.

But for now Pride is all about dusting off those disco-dancing shoes that has been gathering dust since the Eighties, buying an absolutely fabulous glitzy frock and heading to Sandton to celebrate queer culture in style, Doll!

Taboo is located on the corner of Fredman Drive and Gwen Lane in Sandton, across from 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 702 Talk Radio's Primedia House studios.  Tickets for the Mega Pride 06 party cost R150.

For further information on Mega Pride 06 party at Taboo visit www.queercity.co.za

ends.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Media passes are available for the event and can be arranged by contacting Etienne de Villiers at Freshly Brewed Communications on 082 323 7202 or etienne@freshlybrewed.co.za

For public enquiries visit www.queercity.co.za

For media enquiries only contact Etienne de Villiers @ 082 323 7202 or etienne@freshlybrewed.co.za

Issued by Etienne de Villiers @ Freshly Brewed Communications on behalf of Queer City Productions

18 September 2006