Danielle Olivani wants to bring people joy and quell misconceptions. That’s what motivated them to host an in-person Lake County Pride Fest for the past seven years as president of the Lake County Pride Organization.
Inspired by young people and the desire to give back to their community by bringing people together to have a good time, Olivani said they are excited to be bringing together 13 performers, a dance contest, games and more for the event, set for noon to
8 p.m. Sunday at Ferran Park, 250 Ferran Park Drive, Eustis.
The festival theme is “We Choose Joy.”
“Lake County Pride Fest was started because I saw there was a gap here for young people,” Olivani said. “There was no organization that represented or helped young LGBTQIA people in the community. We just want to shine a light on those who don’t 100% feel like they can be out here in Lake County fully. With everything negative that has been happening in the LGBTQIA community for the last couple of years and other difficulties in people’s livelihoods, we just want to spread joy and honor our community.”
Along with music from DJ Johnty, the festival will feature performances at 2 and 5 p.m. and live entertainment from Orlando Gay Chorus, Tight Strings Bated Breath, Billy Mick, Karl Withakay and more.
Miss Florida At Lake 2025-2026 Rabiosa Santlorans, Karma Rose and Nova Celeste also are set to grace the stage during the festival.
Guests will also be able to enjoy items from merchant vendors including Happy Hippie Customs, Bead Mama, Twisted Toy Box Tattoo Studio and others.
Food vendors include Wingdom, Flayva Thyme, Simple Eats and Treats, Rock Paper Scissors Eat and more.
Rainbow Family and Friends of The Villages, a resident lifestyle club and nonprofit organization based in The Villages, is set to be one of the community support and services vendors to table at the festival.
Tony Eastman, of the Village of Buttonwood, said the club donated $250 as a sponsor for the Lake County Pride Fest.
The club wants to support the program and assist with bringing more education about and entertainment for members of the LGBTQIA community, said Eastman, Rainbow Family and Friends of The Villages treasurer.
“We see them taking initiative and it’s been a long road to host the festival,” Eastman said. “We wanted to show our community support by giving a donation and having our board and other members attend the festival. This group has gone a long way by bringing this festival to the community and we want to help grow the support.”
Olivani explained that the nonprofit first began planning to host a local pride festival in 2019, but because of COVID-19 the experience was turned into a virtual celebration hosted on Sept. 19, 2020.
Performances by DJ Adam Joseph and RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Ginger Minj were streamed to over 2,000 people on Facebook and YouTube.
In 2023, the Lake County Pride Organization attempted again to host an in-person festival for fans and members of the LGBTQIA community, but it was canceled the day it was supposed to happen because of inclement weather.
“Essentially this has been over seven years of me trying to do this in one way or another,” Olivani said. “This event, even though it’s being thrown by the LGBTQIA community, it is designed for everyone to enjoy. Lake County Pride is an intersectional organization, so we want to also include all the other underrepresented communities in the area. The festival really means a lot to a lot of people and I hope it gives people hope.”
Lake County Pride Organization was created to increase education and advocacy around issues affecting LGBTQIA+ members and promote civil service. The nonprofit maintains a community sidewalk pantry in Eustis and hosts recurring social events.
Olivani said along with serving the community as a whole, the goal of Lake County Pride Organization is to change the narrative about the LGBTQIA community.
“I believe people have a lot of misconceptions and a lot of negative speak that comes along with our community,” Olivani said. “There’s the misconception that members of the LGBTQIA community aren’t fully immersed in the community they live in. People may think that we don’t love, care and want to be a part of our community. I know so many LGBTQIA people, especially in Lake County, who give back to the community — so that’s a misconception. We just want to show people what can be done when our community comes together as a collective. We are your sisters, your brothers, your relatives, your teachers and we just want to feel like we can be fully out here without apology and being ridiculed and judged harshly.”
Olivani and Eastman agree that it is important to expose young people in the LGBTQIA community to realities that are seen as natural goals or milestones in life they may feel are unattainable or aren’t a realistic option for them, such as getting married, having children or owning a home.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding about gender, sexuality and what that all means,” Olivani said. “(Even people in the community may think) that we can’t form families and long, sustaining relationships, whether that be with a partner or our chosen family — which is kind of what Lake County Pride is for me. Another aspect of Lake County Pride is our elder population, which includes people in The Villages. Some of them have never been able to live fully open and as their true selves. I still get messages, several a month, from older people who are really struggling. They really don’t know what their jobs would say about it, what their church members might feel or their families giving them a hard time. It’s a real problem.
“But the more we are out and open, especially in a celebratory sense, I believe people will see and understand we mean no harm,” she said. “There is no nefarious intent. We don’t want to indoctrinate anyone or anything like that. This is purely for people’s enjoyment and creating a safe space that is very much needed.”
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
