Host City

• Florianopolis – Host City for the IGLTA 29^th Annual Global Convention

  Floripa 2012: Natural Diversity!

  Florianopolis?  Let’s make it easier: just call it “Floripa,” as the locals do. (That’s Floreepa.) An all-time favorite holiday destination for Brazilian and South American LGBT travelers, the Capital of the Southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina is now starting to be discovered by the ‘outside world.’

  Endowed with 100 beaches, exotic nature, warm and hospitable people and an excellent tourist infrastructure, it is difficult not to compare Florianopolis with paradise.  Located in Southern Brazil, on an oceanic island, Florianopolis is one of the best gay and lesbian destinations in South America.

  Those who get to know the beauties of Santa Catarina Island want to stay here longer than just one season.  This is why an ever-increasing number of people are choosing the capital with the best quality of life in Brazil as a place to live.  Those who like beaches and a peaceful life, without sacrificing the advantages of bigger cities, find it the perfect place to be.  Florianopolis combines everything you find in a large city with the charm of a small town.

  The island strikes a balance between human settlement and environmental preservation.  The harmony and the conservation of biodiversity around the urban center are outstanding in this region, which is the only Brazilian capital city located on an island where the ecosystems are preserved.  There are now more than 20 ecological conservation districts and new parks in the county, covering 42% of its territory.

  In the past, most gay and lesbian visitors to Brazil would head straight to Rio, but as travel interests become more diverse people are now starting to explore other areas of this huge country and like what they find.

  Florianopolis, in particular the Island of Santa Catarina, has now become the second destination in Brazil for gay & lesbian travelers, especially during summer, and is certainly a must-visit destination if you are on your way to or from Buenos Aires or are visiting other parts of Brazil.

  A few good reasons to visit: glorious beaches, lush green mountains, beautiful lagoons, laid-back and safe atmosphere, AND gay-friendliness.

  The city has become cosmopolitan, but without losing its identity, and has a long tradition of hospitality and tolerance.  The traces of its Azorean settlers are still present in the capital’s daily life.  The “manezinhos,” gentilic for Florianopolis, known for speaking fast, walk the narrow streets downtown and the Public Market, preserving their customs and festivals, inherited from Portuguese colonization.  The city’s sophisticated, classy and fun nightlife requires a separate chapter.

  HISTORY

  With a history that resembles San Francisco, even having its own “golden gate,” Floripa has always been a magnet for alternative lifestyles.

  In the past it was a provincial capital that was known only for its gorgeous beaches, quaint fishing villages and excellent surfing, but since the late ’70s it has had an influx of immigrants from all walks of life.  In the ’80s a lot of artists and hippies started to move to Santa Catarina Island, attracted by the beautiful nature and its laid-back atmosphere.  Since then, people from all over the country (and many foreigners) were attracted by the many universities and quality of life and came to settle.  This created a tolerant and open-minded community that is very welcoming of gay and lesbians.

  GAY AND LESBIAN EVENTS

  For gay and lesbian tourists the initial attraction was Carnival with its famous street parties – with the Bloco dos Sujos, groups of cross-dressing men, being one of the oldest traditions.  In the midst of this all-encompassing atmosphere, gays always felt at home.

  In recent years gay Carnival grew bigger and bigger, with the Pop Gay competition, a beauty contest for Drag Queens and Transgenders, establishing itself as the largest event on the Carnival calendar.  In 2008, in its 15^th edition, 50,000 people attended the event.

  During the festival, there is also a variety of parties to cater for all tastes.  In the last three years, major electronic music label parties and big gay and lesbian clubs from other parts of Brazil have made their headquarters on the Island, attracting thousands of young gay people and turning Florianopolis into a serious contender on the Brazilian gay and lesbian Carnival circuit.

  Another major event is the Semana da Diversidade, the local Pride Festival.  Now on its fifth edition it has been a success since the beginning.  The Pride Festival lasts a week and offers a Parade; cultural events in the Casa da Diversidade, the GLBT headquarters for the week located by the main city square; and the Diversity Games, a unique sporting event in Brazil for gays, lesbians and allies to socialize through sport.

  The Pride Parade happens on the weekend and is one of the most important in the South.  The first edition attracted 30,000 people, representing almost 10% of the city’s population.  Check www.diversidadefloripa.com.br for more information.

  MAIN ATTRACTIONS

  Besides its parties and festivals, it is still the beaches that draw the crowds and as there are so many of them you won’t have any problem finding one that suits your taste or mood.  The Northern beaches (Jurere, Canasvieiras, Ingleses) are the favorite territory of families, as the sea is warm and calm.  They may get busy in the peak season (Dec-Feb) but are still worthy of a visit; although if you want some serenity with your sea and sand then you might be better of to visit at a quieter time of year.

  The East Coast (Santinho, Moçambique, Mole, Joaquina) is a great place to ‘hang ten’ with the surf dudes and the young, trendy crowd.  Praia Mole is the trendiest, with the left-side of the beach, bear Bar do Deca, being the gayest stretch of sand South of Ipanema.  Next door is the optional nudist beach of Galheta, also a very popular area with the gay crowd, accessible only by foot.

  As you go south, the beaches get wilder and even more stunning.  Campeche, Armação and Pantano do Sul are mainly used by locals and still have a strong fishing community.  Campeche has a sizeable gay and lesbian resident community and the beach itself, one of the most fashionable nowadays, is also a good meeting point.  Nature lovers will be in their element in the South too, as they will find two of the most remote beaches here: Lagoinha do Leste, probably the most beautiful in the island, and Naufragados.  Both can only be accessed by trail or boat.

  Floripa is a major center for active adventures and radical sports.  Surfing, obviously, is huge.  International competitions come to town every year and surf schools are everyday more popular (and affordable).  The wind and waves draw in the windsurfers and paragliders as well.  Rafting, abseiling, diving, trekking, cycling: most sporty activities can be done in this land of outdoors lovers. Even surfing sand dunes!

  THE SCENE

  Praia Mole is the hub during the summer, but clubs and bars downtown are open year around.  Although the scene is mainly frequented by gay men, the places are all mixed (as in most places in Brazil) and lesbians looking for nightlife will not be left out.  As it happens all over the world bars open and close with an amazing speed.  Check before you come for updated info on best bars and clubs.

  Just one hour north of Florianopolis is Balneario Camboriu, a seaside resort that attracts the gay crowd looking for a busy nightlife.  Together with nearby Itajai, it’s known as one of the best places of electronic music in the country, bringing top DJs from all over the world for the delight of a mixed gay/straight crowd.

  Other main towns like Blumenau and Criciuma have also an active LGBT nightlife.

  OUTSIDE FLORIPA – THE GREAT OUTDOORS

  If you have extra time on your hands then don’t miss the South Coast, which is about 2 hours away from Florianopolis.  You will find even more beautiful beaches (Praia do Rosa being the most famous and a new member of the “Most Beautiful Bays of the World Club”), with the added bonus of being an area of outstanding natural beauty.  If you want to visit the whale sanctuary to see Southern Right Whales nurturing their young then plan to visit between July and November.

  Only three hours inland from Floripa, you will be in the heart of Santa Catarina’s Serra Geral Moutain Range.  Peaks rise to over 1500m, and overlook high plateaus covered in Araucaria forest, pristine rivers and cascading waterfalls.  You can easily spend a few days here.  The activities are as varied as they are at sea level. You can trek through mountain landscapes rich in flora and fauna or ride horseback through cattle ranches in true gaucho style.  The rivers are perfect for fly fishing or, if you just want to get even further away from it all, just relax in a cozy mountain lodge for a few days.

  In March 2009 Florianopolis hosted a successful Symposium for IGLTA members.  Our program included not only a FAM trip, but several networking opportunities, a marketplace, and the VI International LGBT Forum, where we discussed the potential of gay tourism and shared experiences with great names of the segment: Tom Nibbio, representing IGLTA; Ylan Chrem, representing Lima Tours/IGLTA Ambassador for Latin America; Alfredo Ferreyra, on behalf of BueGay/IGLTA Ambassador for Argentina; as well as Paulo Hoffmann, representing IGLCC.

  The attendance of the event exceeded expectations: 42 IGLTA members participated at the symposium (26 international and 16 local), 160 people attended the Forum and more than 300 attended the marketplace.

  This is the “Magic Island,” with its contrasts between the new and the old, the cosmopolitan and the provincial, the urban and the rural, stressing the best aspects of the two worlds.  Enchanting the visitor, Florianopolis is the perfect place to work, to invest, to live and to enjoy memorable gay and lesbian trips.

   

  Source: Brazil EcoJourneys & Santa Catarina Travel