Winter Party Festival 2025 returns to Miami Beach, championing LGBTQ+ joy & resistance

The beats will be louder, the crowds bigger, and the message clearer than ever as the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Winter Party Festival returns to Miami Beach for its 32nd annual celebration from February 26 to March 4.

With this year’s theme, “Dance is Revolution,” the internationally recognized event will again fuse high-energy music, vibrant community engagement, and a powerful commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy.

Photo Courtesy of Adi Adinayev

“Dance has been more than just a movement,” said festival co-chair Jason Hellinger. “It has been a form of resistance, liberation and social change. Our community has long used dance as a way to break down barriers, challenge norms and create spaces where we can truly be ourselves. This year’s festival honors that legacy and reminds us all that when we dance together, we become part of something bigger than ourselves.”

This year’s Winter Party Festival will welcome more than 10,000 attendees from around the world, with a lineup of over a dozen events spanning 10 of Miami’s most iconic venues. While the festival is a celebration of joy and self-expression, it also serves a larger purpose — raising funds to support both local and national LGBTQ+ organizations.

Photo Courtesy of Adi Adinayev

“This week-long symphony of music and movement is part of what unites us to celebrate, connect, and honor the joy that fuels our strength,” said Kierra Johnson, President of the National LGBTQ Task Force. “We would be remiss not to highlight why the Winter Party Festival remains a thriving cornerstone of queer culture as one of the last remaining community owned circuit parties. Part of the answer lies in the very ground we gather upon. Florida — a state where hateful, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is rampant and harmful policies are piloted — has become a testing ground for authoritarian strategies designed to suppress our existence. Historically, the policies that take root here are then exported to harm other communities.”

Since its inception in 1994, Winter Party has raised over $3.8 million for more than 100 community organizations in South Florida through the LGBTQ+ Equity Fund, a partnership between the National LGBTQ Task Force, Our Fund Foundation, and The Miami Foundation. Festival proceeds support both local grassroots initiatives and national efforts to advance LGBTQ+ equality.

Photo Courtesy of Adi Adinayev

“Now more than ever, we need to provide and maintain spaces for our community to gather and celebrate,” said Under One Sun Pool Party DJ Deanne. “At times, it’s easy to feel alone as an LGBTQ+ person. These parties give us a chance to release, make friends and be reminded that we are not alone and we are loved.”

Besides Deanne, this year’s Winter Party boasts an electrifying DJ lineup featuring Chus, Karsten Sollors, Tom Stephan, and more. Attendees can expect a mix of fresh experiences and staple events, including the beloved premiere celebration Beach Party, headlined by DJs Micky Friedmann and Erik Vilar on Sunday, March 2.

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Morell

“Winter Party Festival is crucial for our community because it’s about charity, unity, and celebration,” said Friedmann. “What sets it apart is that the organizing committee truly understands music and knows how to create an event that represents the diverse layers of our community. It’s more than a party — it’s a movement.”

Join the queer movement today, and purchase individual event tickets and passes at https://winterparty.com/tickets-passes/!

Photo Courtesy of Adi Adinayev