May 13, 2012
Wonderland Reinvents Los Angeles Pride with Main Event at Universal Studios Hollywood
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Masterbeat and Tom Whitman, the two hottest party promoters in Los Angeles, are joining forces to reinvent LA Pride Weekend. Wonderland Weekend will take place over two fun-packed days and nights from Saturday, June 9th through Sunday, June 10th.
It will feature four incredible events sure to keep revelers swimming, dancing and riding all weekend long including the showstopper that will put Los Angeles Pride on the world's gay party map: the main event at Universal Studios Hollywood. The park will be open from 9 pm - 4 am exclusively for Wonderland, where attendees will be among the first in the world to ride the all-new Transformers 3D ride.
Partiers can then step off the back lot and into a Universal soundstage that Masterbeat will transform into LA's most spectacular mega club with a four-point line array sound system, lasers and custom intelligent lights. Wonderland Weekend passes and tickets are available online now at wonderlandweekend.com and will be available in Los Angeles at LASC and PowerZone beginning May 1st.
"Building on LA Pride's signature event Wonderland, we wanted to create a full weekend of events that would attract people from all over California, and even the USA. As the country's second largest city, Los Angeles deserves a place on the Pride party map.
Having experienced the greatest Pride's in the world (New York, Madrid, Sao Paulo and more) we wanted to bring that massive "Pride" feeling back to Los Angeles by combining the best elements of Pride from around the world with the entertainment and attractions LA is famous for." - Tom Whitman & Brett Henrichsen (Masterbeat) - producers of Wonderland Weekend.
The weekend will begin with Splaash, a giant pool party at a private $65 million dollar Beverly Hills estate, nestled in the Beverly Hills just minutes from West Hollywood. If there's one thing Los Angeles is famous for, it's those notorious pool parties. However, getting invited to one of the pools in the hills is an elusive quest for most.
This LA Pride, Masterbeat and Tom Whitman invite all to dance, tan, splash, drink, and gawk at the private lifeguards at the biggest pool party of the summer. DJ Roland Belmares will spin the tunes. SpLAash takes place June 9, 2012 from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Then it's on to the main event. The party Los Angeles has been waiting for. LA's hottest pride party, Wonderland, moves from Paramount studios to Universal Studios Hollywood.
The park will be closed to the general public and open just for Wonderland attendees with rides like The Mummy and the all-new Transformers 3D open all night. But the famous amusement park is just half of the fun. Partiers can step off the back lot and into one of Universal's massive soundstages to experience the dance party inside.
Wonderland presents the LA debut of WE Party, Spain's mega-party featuring the hottest go-go gods and over-the-top production. DJ's Ana Paula (Rio de Janiero) and Manuel de Diego (Madrid) take partiers on an all night musical journey. We Party attacks Wonderland at Universal Studios Hollywood, June 9, 2012 from 9:00pm - 4:00am.
The party has only begun. Ignite Afterhours returns for it's second year as the official Wonderland afterhours. This year, one of Masterbeat's favorite resident DJ's, Twisted Dee, spins the rhythm and beats June 10, 2012 from 3:00am - 10:00am at Arena Cafe' (6655 Santa Monica Boulevard), with the club's sound, lights and lasers upgraded especially for the event.
Winding down the weekend is Sunday's Pride Tea, presented by Masterbeat and Justin David. DJ Brett Henrichsen spins a classic Sunday tea dance June 10, 2012 from 5:00pm to 11:00pm at The Factory and Ultra Suede (661 North Robertson) just steps away from the LA Pride Festival. Historically, this event has been one of the most popular and packed parties so revelers are advised to arrive early.
For more information on Wonderland Weekend, visit www.wonderlandweekend.com
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.