Out in the Park in Chicago 2014 is Going to be EPIC!
LADY BUNNY & GOLIATH! September 13th, 2014!
7pm -12 Midnight Only $39 in advance!
OUT IN THE PARK 2013 Raises Almost $11,000 for Chicago House
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! To so many people who were involved
in making Out in the Park at Six flags Great America 2013 a huge
success. BestGayChicago.com alone, could not make this event happen without the help and support from our peers. Our media sponsors Stacy Bridges and Mark Nagle from GRAB Magazine, Mark Mariucci from QUEST Magazine in Wisconsin, Bill Pritchard and the staff of ChicagoPride.com and the staff of Zona Rosa Magazine all donated thousands of dollars in advertising, well exceeding our expectations and everyone really pitched in and went above and beyond! And a huge thanks to Mini Cooper of Chicago, our co-producer.
We always say, It takes a village to pull this off. This is not the Michael and Derrick BestGayChicago.com show. It’s a community effort coming together for the greater good. And an All Inclusive event. Almost 5,000 people came out this year to support the event and were so grateful.
Six Flags Great America is willing to give our community an entire
private Sunday 11am to 6pm but we have to deliver 10,000 attendees-we
will get to that point-we’re determined to make it happen, that is the
end all goal and feel our community is ready to support an all day private event.
We all need to find our own ways to serve; our own ways to give back.
Our business on its own cannot write a big check to charity. However,
we have a sizable network within our business, the relationship
resources, strong partners and advocates, and ideas to collaborate and
bring the community together – and all help write this year’s check, for
almost $11,000!! This check is not from BestGayChicago.com – it’s from
the ENTIRE community. We were just the instruments to help make it all happen.
Thanks to Jess Godwin and Isaiah Grass for their super live vocal performances. Teri Yaki, Debbie Fox and Cyon Flare all helped entertain the crowds. DJ
Matthew Harvat always delivers a great evening of music and this year
Scarlet’s Scotty T and Team Scarlet got the evening off and running with
a bang. Walgreens helped spread the word this year through many of
their stores. Scarlet, Taverna 750, Charlies and Lucky Horseshoe also helped with promotions and support.
Thank you to all of the volunteers and brand ambassadors who helped
us spread the word. And most of all – thank you to YOU WHO BOUGHT THE
TICKETS and came out and had a great time!
It is a huge risk to orchestrate an outdoor event a year in advance in the
Midwest. Thankfully, we had a gorgeous Fall day. Kohls had bought
out the park for the next day for employees and their families, the
temperature dropped dramatically and it rained and rained hard most of
the day. How lucky we were that was not our day this year, we would have
been very negatively affected.
Six Flags Great America also did an amazing job of emptying the park in a
record 45 minutes. They closed to the general public at 7pm and were
able to allow us to begin entering at 7:45pm into an EMPTY park.
We will be doing a similar Gay Days party at Six Flags St. Louis on a
Saturday night, June 7, 2014 and we’ll be back to Gurnee next September
on a Saturday night for Out In The Park 2014 as well. And we have one
more AMAZING party event in the planning stages for 2014, a private,
charity-based, Water Park, 12-hour Saturday Night Dance Party in late
Winter/early Spring unlike anything the Midwest has ever been able to
enjoy before….stay tuned for all the details.
Friend us, Follow us, LIKE us – to get all of the updates as they happen.
Michael Snell
BestGayChicago.com
How to Order Your Tickets 2013
Out In The Park Tickets ON SALE NOW for Saturday Night, September 14, 2013. FREE PARKING! The hours for this private event are 8:00pm – 1:00am. TICKETS WILL SELL OUT! DON’T WAIT! TICKETS CANNOT BE ORDERED You need a computer and sorry – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS FOR 2013 You should get a new window explaining the event. 
WITH A SMART PHONE
a printer for the code to work.
The price is $36.89 + tax for a total of $38 per ticket.
Up to the top right, look for the promo code box
in the ”ENTER PROMO CODE” box enter OUT and click GO
That’s it!
F A Q
Can I use a Season Pass? NO
This is a private party that benefits a charity, you must have the private party ticket,
to get in from 8pm -1am
Can I use a COKE can to save $20? NO
Can I come during the day, and stay all day and all night with my ticket? NO
The $38 private party ticket is only good 8pm-1am.
BUS INFO - Check the Facebook page for Updates
Pre and Post OFFICIAL Six Flags Parties
3 Days of fun with more Chicago events happening!
3169 N Halsted St Chicago
3320 N Halsted St Chicago
750 W Cornelia Ave Chicago
followed by GLOW the OFFICIAL after Party at CHARLIES till 5am! Free admission with your Six Flags ticket! 3726 N. Broadway Avenue
(CHARLIES WILL OFFER 2 BUSES GOING TO SIX FLAGS @ 6:30pm – coming
back at 1:30am. $25 round trip gets you round trip ride, drinks on the
bus PLUS a special SURPRISE!!! Tickets go on sale AUGUST 27th at 3pm, at the bar, for the bus
seats! Tickets can purchased any day at the bar, in person, until they sell out)
750 W Cornelia Ave Chicago MAKE A RESERVATION - THIS WILL SELL OUT! (773) 904-7466
3320 N Halsted St Chicago
followed by Liquid Brunch at Scarlet- The official Closing Party! Photos from OUT IN THE PARK will be shown on the screens.
Out in the Park 2013 Concert with Eli Lieb, Jess Godwin and Isaiah Grass
There is something for EVERYONE,
at OUT IN THE PARK 2013!
NEW this year, 3 mini concerts plus awesome impersonators from Milwaukee!
ELI LIEB was just nominated by OUT Magazine in their Third Annual 100 Most Eligible Bachelors” – and he placed in the top 5!
Eli’s has been uploading videos to YouTube for over 2 years now, and is almost at 10,000,000 views!
Spring-boarding his musical career during his 10 years living in New
York City with early musical roots in the East Village, Lieb took the
NYC songwriting scene by storm. After his first performance at Sidewalk
Café he was immediately swooped into meetings with producers, label
execs and collaborators of the highest caliber. After a year or so
exploring the big-labels, Eli put on the brakes and retreated to his
hometown of Fairfield, Iowa. It was in this rural refuge where Eli was
able to write one of this year’s most exciting club-beat driven albums
from his own musical instincts.
In a pop musical climate dominated by performers that are auditioned, packaged and produced for the public’s easy consumption, Eli Lieb has self-produced his debut album, titled simply Eli Lieb. (Released Oct 2012).The collection of 10 original songs resonates with honest and touching sentiments within cinematic melodies, delivered in the spirit of uncompromising integrity. Appealing to fans of Robyn and James Blake, Eli Lieb has created something emotional and empowering. If all goes well, his new album will be available in time for OUT (IN THE PARK 2013, and he will have copies available for purchase and autographing! ELI ON FACEBOOK.
Honest, unassuming, and passionate, Jess Godwin possesses one of the
most dynamic voices both in and beyond the Chicago music scene. Combine
the music of Alicia Keys, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones, and Stevie
Wonder, and you get the unique sound of this energetic redhead. Her
soul-bearing lyrics will touch your heart, and her music will make you
tap your feet and sing along at the same time.
Born in Atlanta, Godwin moved around a lot as a child – 5 states and
10 different schools to be exact! Eventually, Jess and her family
finally settled in Chicago. She has been a proud resident of the Windy
City for the past 14 years.
She has released four EPs, each one demonstrating her tremendous talent and wide-ranging musical influences: To the Heart of It, Quiet the Room (produced by Jan Smith, vocal coach to Usher, Justin Bieber, The Band Perry), Klutz, and her most recent self titled EP released in November. Godwin’s single, Katy’s Side, was featured on Keeping up with the Kardashians this summer. JESS ON FACEBOOK.
IsaiahGrass is an American Pop Singer &
Song Writer whom is quickly gaining recognition in the music industry as
“the one to watch”.
Isaiah is one of underground pop music’s
latest sensations. When most male pop artists are trying to duplicate other top artists on
the charts, this guy is pushing the extremes of popular dance music and establishing his
own unique sound and identity.
His versatile vocal style and self-penned material are attracting international attention!
Breaking barriers and
encouraging himself in the fashion industry is just one of the many
goals he is determined to accomplish throughout his career. Since the
day he made a commitment to modeling, he has worked with some of the
most prestigious industry insiders in the modeling industry.
Isaiah was discovered in the summer of 2010 by LEDOM Management Group which happened to come across Isaiah’s photographs in Facebook. By late 2010, LEDOM Group became his managing company as a model and during late 2011 – LEDOM Enterprises signed him as a singer.
His debut CD, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED was released December 2012.
ISAIAH ON FACEBOOK
Six Flags Great America is an amazing park with 13 roller coasters and lots of cool rides. Enjoy those rides with hardly NO LINES at our private event!
You can dance to the sounds of Matthew Harvat in Hometown Square with added lights and sounds this year.
Or just have some drinks and socialize with thousands of new friends! There is something for EVERYONE, at OUT IN THE PARK 2013!
2013 Music from Scarlets Scotty T followed by Matthew Harvat
8pm -9:30pm – Scotty T from Scarlet along with the infamous Trannika Rex, plus a couple hot boys – will kick off the evening and get the party started!
Hang out with them at Hometown Square or simply enjoy their music throughout the park, as their music will be piped live throughout Six Flags Great America, in most places, for this very special event!
Matthew Harvat - His DJing includes headline appearances in Vancouver, Prague, Miami, Chicago, Orlando, Toronto, and Hollywood. He creates great music wherever he goes, and we are so excited Harvat is bringing his talents to this First Annual Gay Six Flags Event! Gay and straight audiences alike embrace Harvat’s unique combination of DJing, production and performances that fuse glamour, wit, and audacity. His creativity is irrepressible.
Out In The Park at Six Flags Great America Chicago 2012 Inaugural Year A Huge Success!
Michael and I wish to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make this years inaugural Private LGBTQIA
OUT IN THE PARK at Six Flags Great America Chicago
a GINOURMOUS success!!!
Michael and I connected with the executive team at Six Flags in May of this year, 2012, wanting to do something officially “BestGay” sanctioned and they were ecstatic because they had been wanting to do a Gay event on a much more massive scale than ever hailed before at the park and we were fortunate they felt our vision of what this
GAY event could become fit best with theirs.
Yet, this year almost never happened and we were talking about 2013 because we simply couldn’t find a Saturday in September of 2012 where they could accommodate us without upsetting their existing general admission schedule or without competing with previously scheduled Gay fund raising events within our community those Saturday September nights.
HUGE props to the executive team again at Six Flags for thinking outside the box and coming back to us and saying “We are willing to keep the park open after our official closing time of 9pm on Saturday September 8th if you think you could make
a 9pm to 1am party in the park a success.”
That was all Michael and I needed to hear and we were off and running to make it happen with less than 7 weeks to the actual event day.
A HUGE heartfelt thanks to:
ALL of YOU that supported the event, came out, championed the hour of monsoon rain, and REALLY made it all happen (just hinting here-imagine, bring along simply ONE new friend next year and we can easily double our numbers-just saying).
HUGE Thank You to the executive team at Six Flags Great America Chicago, GLACEAU Vitamin Water, AbsolutelyChicagoSegwayTours, Halsted Pharmacy, RainbowPizza, Viaggio Italian Restaurants, and of course Ryan VanMeter, Bill Farrand and TPAN’s entire staff and volunteers that helped make this inaugural year’s event a huge success generating nearly
$12,000 for TPAN (Test Positive Aware Network)!
Also a big shout out to Matthew Harvat and Phil DaBeatz, our amazing hometown DJ’s, for giving us grooves to remember and dance to all night, despite soggy equipment at points and to GRAB Magazine, Chicago Pride.com, Boi Magazine and the L Stop for helping to spread the word to the entire LGBTQIA community
in such a short amount of time.
And so to make things easier to remember moving forward, OUT IN THE PARK Gay Day at Six Flags Great America Chicago will always be the
second (2nd) Saturday night every September for years to come.
So save the date for next year!
Saturday, September 14th, 2013 for 6pm until 1am.
OUT IN THE PARK 2013 will be bigger, better, longer and even GAY-er and
continue to raise money for local charities!
See you next September!
Derrick Sorles and Michael Snell
www.BestGayChicago.com
Six Flags Great America Guidelines
People have been asking about policies and clothing, what can they wear, what they should not wear – so here are some guidelines for everyone!
Does Six Flags Great America have a dress code?
In keeping with our family-friendly atmosphere, and for health and safety reasons, Six Flags Great America strictly enforces a dress code. Proper attire must be worn in the park at all times, including shirts and appropriate footwear.
Clothing with rude, vulgar or offensive language or graphics is not permitted at any time (shirts cannot be turned inside out as a solution). Bathing suits may be worn only in the water park area.
Again anything that could potentially be a safety hazard on the rides will have to be removed. But dresses and most clothing don’t really present a problem on most rides and should be fine.
Guests are permitted to enter the park wearing costumes and decorative makeup – BUT NO FULL MASKS that would cover or hide someones face. Park admission may be denied if clothing is deemed by management to be inappropriate.
Is smoking permitted in the park?
Smoking is allowed in designated areas only – on the blue benches. E-cigarettes may only be used in designated smoking areas. THIS IS VERY VERY VERY STRICT. Violators WILL BE ejected with out warning or a refund.
May I bring my own food and beverages into Six Flags Great America?
No outside food, beverages or coolers are allowed to be brought into Six Flags Great America. However, we allow each guest to bring in one bottle of water and exceptions are made for Guests with special dietary needs to include food allergies and baby food/formula. Guest should contact Park Security or Guest Relations when they arrive at the Park for approval to bring in special dietary foods. The special dietary food containers will be marked and dated to clearly show that they have been approved for entry into the park.
What is Six Flags Great America’s alcoholic beverage policy?
No alcoholic beverages are allowed to be brought into Six Flags Parks. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the park may not leave the premises. Excessive consumption of alcohol is cause for ejection from the park without refund. No one under age 21 is permitted to consume alcoholic beverages and proper identification is required to purchase and/or consume alcoholic beverages at Six Flags Great America. Guests are prohibited from taking beer or wine purchased in the park out through the front gate.
Are laser pointers permitted at Six Flags Great America?
For the safety of our Guests and employees, laser pointers are not permitted.
Glow stick type toys are permitted.
Upon entering the the park, your ticket will be scanned.
