We spent a summer weekend last month in Atlantic City and the last thing we found it was Gay.
Which is apparently not a good thing for New Jersey’s legendary destination of gambling and gaudiness — which needs to lure as many tourism dollars as possible as it suffers through the tough economy.
So late next month — in an attempt to capture a thick slice of the multi-billion dollar GLBT travel market — Harrah’s Atlantic City will be hosting “Out in Atlantic City”, a weekend of homo-focused fetes and fiestas with some rather impressive GLBT talent.
There’s now-iconic downtown diva Amanda Lepore, who will kick things off hosting a party at Club Worship at Showboat Casino Hotel’s House of Blues.
N’ Sync-alum Lance Bass will also throw his own bash during the weekend, while Jai Rodriguez, of Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” will MC a ‘Rehab Brunch and Gay Bingo” morning at Caesars Atlantic City. Cast-members from “The L Word” will make special guest appearances throughout. And Gay media such as Out and the Advocate will be media-partnering weekend-wide.
Along with the “Out” weekend, Atlantic City is also taking some longer-lasting approaches to capturing the lucrative pink market.
Recently, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority reached out Gay travel media and made an appearance at a Gay-themed consumer show in New York. Additionally, the non-profit Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance was formed to promote GLBT businesses and people in the Atlantic City area.
Considering Atlantic City’s Sopranos-meets-Real-Housewives rep, going Gay is a bit of a stretch for the resort town. But New Jersey does have one of America’s most progressive domestic partnership policies, which could well work in favor of it.
And any event with Ms. Lepore in the house will certainly lure the late-night types.