FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Multi Grammy award-winning, reggae artist Shaggy and the Queen of bounce music, Big Freedia will join an array of performers over the spring break holiday for the 2019 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival. Scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 23rd at Fort Lauderdale’s South Beach Park, this annual event kicks off with a 5K walk culminating in a day-long music festival to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS services throughout South Florida, the epicenter of HIV in the U.S.
|
WHAT: |
2019 Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival | |
|
WHO: |
Mayor Dean Trantalis, City of Fort Lauderdale | |
| Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) | ||
| Michael Kahane, AHF Southern Bureau Chief | ||
| Leadership of 10 non-profit benefiting organizations | ||
| Shaggy, Grammy award-winning artist | ||
| Big Freedia, award-winning artist | ||
| Thousands of local attendees | ||
|
WHEN: |
TOMORROW, Saturday, March 23, 2019 | |
| Registration Starts at 9:00am | ||
| Walk Starts at 10:00am | ||
| Concert starts at 11:00am | ||
|
• Shaggy performs 12noon – 1:00pm |
||
|
• The Struts performs 3:00pm – 4:00pm |
||
|
• Big Freedia performs 4:35pm – 5:35pm |
||
|
Note: Media avails with the artist will occur immediately following their performance |
||
|
WHY: |
Nationally South Florida ranks #1 in regards to new HIV diagnosis. Funds raised from this event annually raises over $1 million to benefit 10 local non-profit organizations that are leading the fight against the local HIV/AIDS epidemic. |
|
Presented by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest non-profit, global HIV/AIDS organization, the annual event attracts thousands of attendees from across the region. Supported by an array of corporate partners including AHF Pharmacy, a national chain of pharmacies supporting U.S. & global HIV care, and Wells Fargo, the Florida AIDS Walk annually raises over $1 million in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Now in its 14th year, Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival has become a highly anticipated event aimed at increasing South Florida’s awareness, prevention, and treatment efforts against the spread of HIV.
Traditionally taking place as a Sunday morning 5K walk and concert, the 2019 event has been expanded to a full-day multi-faceted, music festival experience that will kick-off as walkers return back to the beach. Joining the line-up with Shaggy and Big Freedia are a diverse array of performers including rock-and-roll sensation, The Struts, Grammy-nominated duo, Coastcity, and South Florida’s own Deep Fried Funk Band. The event will be hosted by celebrity DJs Tracy Young and Alex Ferbeyre.
“Given South Florida’s ranking nationally as the epicenter for HIV, we are pleased to present this annual event that both raises awareness about the HIV epidemic and significant dollars to support 10 non-profit organizations that are entrenched in the community, working to address this devastating epidemic,” stated Michael Kahane, AHF Southern Bureau Chief. “We thank all of the amazing performers, corporate partners, team captains, individuals raising funds and the thousands of attendees, for their support.”
The event helps to remind the community that HIV/AIDS is still impacting our community by increasing the community’s awareness, education, and prevention efforts all with the objective of reducing the spread of HIV. Organizations benefiting from the 2019 event include:
AQUA
SAVE
SUNSERVE
POVERELLO
THE PRIDE CENTER AT
EQUALITY PARK
LATINOS SALUD
THE WORLD AIDS MUSEUM AND
EDUCATIONAL CENTER
PRIDELINES
URBAN LEAGUE OF BROWARD COUNTY
Registration for the walk & music festival is available at www.floridaaidswalk.org.
Other event sponsors include: Cardinal Health, Ameritech Solutions, All In One Electric, Macy’s, TCGRx, Quest Diagnostics, CDW, iHeart Media and South Florida Gay News.
HIV/AIDS in Florida:
According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
- Florida ranked 1st among the 50 states in the number of HIV diagnoses;
- Three Florida cities, made the top 15 cities nationally, when it comes to number of people with HIV. Miami is at the top of the list, with Jacksonville and Orlando at the tenth and 11th spots, respectively; and
- Miami-Dade and Broward counties ranked top in the nation of new HIV diagnosis.
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 1,146,000 individuals in 42 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare.
