The Center Grill welcomed guests with grilled pineapple at the 35th annual Garden Party (photo by ©MRNY)
Way back in 1984, amidst the AIDS crisis in New York, the city’s newborn LGBT Center hosted a fundraising buffet at its home on West 13th Street in Manhattan. More than thirty years later, The Center’s Garden Party has become the city’s most celebrated LGBTQ food festival and a beloved event on the NYC Pride calendar.
Now celebrating its 35thanniversary,The Center’s Garden Party “A Taste of Pride” welcomed nearly 2,000 guests along the city’s waterfront at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84. As the official kick-off of Pride Week, the Garden Party features a tantalizing collection of restaurant partners and chefs who offer tastings from dozens of local restaurants—with an open bar sponsored by Diageo and Lagunitas.
Donuts from Underwest Donuts served at The Center’s 35th annual Garden Party (photo by ©MRNY)
This year’s seasonal bounty included such summer pleasures as spicy caramel peanut bacon, tropical fruit gazpacho, roasted shark taquitos, Canarian ceviche, Brazilian cheese breads, summer corn with chipotle, and pulled pork sliders.
Guests with a sweet tooth devoured Black Forest tarts and Nutella-stuffed churros, as well as salty hazelnut ice cream, blueberry Pavlova with summer corn pudding, toasted milk ice cream, and ooey gooey butter cake.
Guests at The Center’s 35th annual Garden Party at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 (photo by ©MRNY)
With a dress code that reads “summer chic,” Garden Party is as much a sartorial showcase as it is a gastronomic festival. This year’s guests were as festive as the food, sporting seersucker and suspenders, bow ties and bowlers, waistcoats and boaters, as well as glitter, spangles, and beads.
This year’s guests were as festive as the food. (photo by ©MRNY)
The Center’s Executive Director Glennda Testone was joined onstage by various political and media luminaries, several of whom presented Center scholarships to LGBTQ youth.
The Center’s Executive Director Glennda Testone at the 35th annual Garden Party at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 (photo by ©MRNY)
As The Center‘s longest-running event, Garden Party is also its most attended annual fundraiser—thanks in part to corporate sponsorships such as presenting sponsor Prudential. This year’s Garden Party raised over $270,000 to benefit The Center’s vital services for the LGBT community. The Center’s innovative programs address such issues as women’s economic empowerment, poverty in the transgender community, and substance use amongst LGBTQ youth. More than 300,000 people visit The Center annually, with more than 300 groups meeting at the historic building in the West Village.
The Center’s 35th annual Garden Party at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 (photo by ©MRNY)
The Center is home to a rainbow coalition of life-changing and life-saving organizations, including Youth Pride Chorus and Center families, as well as various career services focused on the needs of LGBT job applicants. The proceeds from Garden Party enable The Center to remain open 365 days a year.
Throughout the past three decades, The Center has built community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery in its mission to envision a world where LGBT people no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who they love. Even in the face of adversity, The Center’s annual Garden Party serves as a reminder to savor and celebrate Pride.
The Center’s 35th annual Garden Party at Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 (photo by ©MRNY)
