The biggest lesbian party in the world - get the lowdon from Founder Mariah Hanson

To round up our feature of the month on International Women's Festivals we spoke to Mariah Hanson, founder of The Original Dinah Shore Weekend (aka The Dinah) shortly after the amazing 24th event, the biggest lesbian party in the world attracting in the regional of 15,000 women. 
Read about our experience at the 2014 party.

Planet London (PL): 24 years is a long time to run a festival; for anyone who hasn’t been – what should they expect and how has it evolved over the years?
Mariah Hanson (MH): It's the wildest and certainly the most fun filled five days imaginable. You can expect meeting thousands of women from all over the globe, as excited as you are to have the time of their lives. Expect top notch entertainment, seeing your favorite artists close up and personal and then don’t be surprised when after the concert they come on to the dance floor and party all night. Many have and we expect will keep on living up to the tradition that 'What happens at The Dinah, stays at The Dinah ;)
PL: No other event gets 15,000+ lesbians in one place every year, How do you keep the event fresh & growing? 
MH: I stay on top of the latest trends in music and we don't toy too much with the basic structure of the event. Basically we are five days of the most amazing girl parties imaginable.

PL: The introduction of the film festival has been popular, will the continue and will you be adding more similar events to the schedule?
MH: We are still growing the film festival and like to focus on our new endeavors before we add new options. That said, we have also added celebrity poker.
 
PL: This year was a stellar line up, with the L Word reunion, plus first timers Mary Lambert and Tegan & Sarah to name a few – how did it feel to have such top level entertainment? 
MH: We have top level entertainment every year. Past alumni have included Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, India.Arie, Salt and Pepa, Ke$ha, Natasha Bedingfield, Dev and The Cataracs, Colbie Caillat. At The Dinah, you can always expect amazing acts ;)
 
PL: So how on earth are you going to make the 25th Dinah Shore bigger and better? You’ve set quite a bar this year… 
MH: I'm thinking ... I'm thinking.

International Womens Festival - Girls in Wonderland Gay Days

In March Planet London started a new 'featured theme of the month'. For obvious reasons March was 'Marriage Equality' and we ran a number of interviews and articles on this subject as well as publishing some informative; yet interesting blog pieces.

April has arrived; and our latest featured theme of the month is 'International Women's Festivals'.

This is the fourth in a series of features and interviews on international lesbian festivals.

This is a review of Girls in Wonderland Gay Days (Orlando, Florida)

  

Enjoy!

Looking for sun, women, music, hook-ups and fun all centred around a fabulous holiday? Look no further: Florida is the place to go. Whether it's June or September- you'll find the most fantastic women's festivals happening in the Sunshine State. The best part is, they've been around for almost 20 years and never fail if you're looking for the perfect gay vacation.

June 5th-9th 2014 Girls In Wonderland Gay Days - Orlando, Florida

Every first weekend of June, lesbians and gay men pack up their flip flops, red t-shirts and sun screen and head for Orlando, Florida for "Gay Days'. A long standing tradition that happens when over 15,000 gays flood Mickey Mouse's neighbourhood for sun, fun & parties. Ladies have their share of options, thanks to Alison Burgos, Pandora events and their "Girls In Wonderland" long weekend. 

Loud, bumping & humping hotel pool parties with kick-ass DJ's, Happy Hour & Cocktail parties, live music at House of Blues, major dance parties, VIP events, and top notch comedy nights make for a non-stop thrill ride of ladies, dancing, music & laughs all within Disney Village and usually with some form of bus transport, if not within walking distance. 

A massive LGBT Expo at the main host hotel is great for a wander through with tons of free goodies, stalls, vendors & product displays. The pillage to DisneyWorld itself happens on Saturday afternoon, when everyone dons their red shirts and heads for the Magic Kingdom. Never sanctioned or acknowledged by Disney, and yet the day creates a most spectacular sea of red throughout the magnificent park and is a sight to be hold.

Some past guests include The L Word stars Leisha Hailey and Pam Grier to The Real L Word personalities Whitney Mixter, Tracy Ryerson and Rose Garcia, reality stars The Kardashians, Dani Campbell and Rachel Robinson, mega music stars Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson and Pitbull, they have all partied with Pandora.

Top name performers also include a wide range of talent including funny girls, Suzanne Westenhoeffer, Julie Goldman and Dana Goldberg, singing sirens and rockers, Uh Huh Her, Hunter Valentine, Betty, Sophie B Hawkins, Melissa Ferrick, Goddess & She, Halcyon and The State Of.. along with the hottest girls DJs like DJ/Producer Tracy Young, Alyson Calagna, and Lisa Pittman from Miami, LA and NYC. 

With so much to do, it's best to research web sites ahead of time and look for hotel & ticket packages that offer the best deals for your stay & entertainment choices.

The website starts shaping up in April with celebrity appearances, entertainment line-up and event announcements. 

Review by Denise Warner-Gregory
Listen to Denise on My Lesbian Radio

International Womens Festivals - WomenFest

In March Planet London started a new 'featured theme of the month'. For obvious reasons March was 'Marriage Equality' and we ran a number of interviews and articles on this subject as well as publishing some informative; yet interesting blog pieces.

April has arrived; and our latest featured theme of the month is 'International Women's Festivals'.

This is the third in a series of features and interviews on international lesbian festivals.

This is a review of WomenFest (Key West, Florida).

  

Enjoy!

Looking for sun, women, music, hook-ups and fun all centred around a fabulous holiday? Look no further: Florida is the place to go. Whether it's June or September- you'll find the most fantastic women's festivals happening in the Sunshine State. The best part is, they've been around for almost 20 years and never fail if you're looking for the perfect gay vacation.

September 4th-7th 2014 WomenFest 2014- Key West, Florida

In the U.S., Labor Day (the first Monday of September) is a holiday that signifies a celebration of "the American Labor Movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers", which I didn't even know until I just now Googled it, because to me, it meant a day off and time for a big bash to say good-bye to summer. Whatever the significance, grab your shortest shorts, a swimsuit, a snorkel, and sunglasses and head to the southern most point of Florida for WomenFest in Key West, Florida. 

With it's laid-back Jimmy Buffet-Margaritaville appeal, this 4 day event has everything you could possibly want in a holiday, with the added bonus of lesbians everywhere! The list is of things to do is nearly endless: jet-skiiing, sunset catamaran cruises, art workshops (a women-only Nude painting class?! Yes!), DJ driven pool parties, golfing, live music, comedy night, cinema night, karaoke nights, dance parties at Aqua Night Club, drag shows, yoga classes, a bunch of different contests, including the SHE Magazine's Beach Blanket Butch & Babe Poolside contest, the annual Pearl's Itsy Bitsy Bikini Contest, volleyball, water sports, snorkelling, dolphin-watching, parasailing, kayaking, island trolley tours from The Gay Trolley Co., dinner dances, afternoon pool side tea party dances, evening Happy Hours and outdoor patio cocktail parties are all part of an event line-up that leaves nothing out. 

It's a 4 mile-wide island, jam-packed with lesbians, so you won't need to worry about transport because you can rent electric mini cars, mopeds, bicycles, hitch a ride with a babe on scooter or just walk to the nearest party. Plenty of amazing food places, miles of sandy beaches, the legendary Duval Street, shops that never stop, and frozen drinks to keep you cool in the intense heat. Great entertainment includes past guests: musician/singer Jennifer Corday, the completely interactive band Sister Funk, The Voice contestant Bev McClellan, hot moves & music from NY's own Lori Michaels & The Girls, comedy has included Dana Goldberg, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Julie Goldman, Wendy Carlisle, Christine O'Leary, and Susie Comet. 

Always adding new faces, new music, DJ's, bands & singers, keep your eye on the events section of the website as they start announcing the 2014 line-up in June/July. Airline deals, hotel packages and host hotel info can be found at www.womenfest.com  

Review by Denise Warner-Gregory
Listen to Denise on My Lesbian Radio
 

International Women's Festivals - interview with Cindy Edwards, Festival Director of L Fest, L Fest Del Mar and L Festive



In March Planet London started a new 'featured theme of the month'. For obvious reasons March was 'Marriage Equality' and we ran a number of interviews and articles on this subject as well as publishing some informative; yet interesting blog pieces.

 

April has arrived; and our latest featured theme of the month is 'International Women's Festivals'.

 

This is the second in a series of interviews with women who work on these festivals.

 

This interview is with Cindy Edwards, Director of lesbian festivals L Fest (UK) and L Fest Del Mar (Spain) along with fringe festival L Festive (UK).

 

This video features some outtakes at the end because we lost Cindy part way through the recording; and well a girl's got to keep herself amused!

 

Enjoy!



International Womens Festivals - interview with Robin Schwartz about Aqua Girl Festival



In March Planet London started a new 'featured theme of the month'. For obvious reasons March was 'Marriage Equality' and we ran a number of interviews and articles on this subject as well as publishing some informative; yet interesting blog pieces.

 

April has arrived; and our latest featured theme of the month is 'International Women's Festivals'.

 

This is the first in a series of interviews with women who work on these festivals.

 

This interview is with Robin Schwartz, Director of the Aqua Girl Foundation which is funded by Aqua Girl Festival (Miami Beach, US).

 

Aqua Girl takes place 14-18 May 2014 in Miami Beach

  

Enjoy!

 

Living la Vida LFEST Del Mar!

L Fest Del Mar line-up released and new website!

We are so excited to announce that the L Fest Del Mar full line-up of awesome artists has now been released! 

With DJs and artists from Spain, Czech, Austria, UK, Germany and Russia, and pool parties to live acoustic music on the beach, L Fest Del Mar is going to be a hit all round. And with current prices for flights, festival ticket and beach front accommodation all coming to under £250, we think it's pretty awesome value too! 

The fantastic new website design and overall brand is bold and bright. We're loving the new djs and artists section, why not check it out? Here you'll find everything you could possibly wish to know about the artists, you can even listen to some of their sounds!

Take a look today at http://www.lfest.co.uk

Naomi