Celebrating Pride Month: Recapping LGBTQ+ Inclusivity and Support at Ocean Casino Resort Return to BlogPublished: July 2024 When you think of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, what comes to mind? For Ocean Casino Resort, it’s the spirit of celebration: embracing the authentic human experience in glittering technicolor. This is just one reason why we emphasize inclusivity twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and three hundred sixty-five days a year. But in June, we take our welcoming spirit to the next level. That’s right—we’re talking about Pride Month. This year we pulled out all the stops for LGBTQ+ community members and allies in NJ and beyond. Let’s dive into all the events and activities Ocean was proud to present in June! Ocean Casino Resort: Proud to Include All When it comes to Pride parties in Atlantic City, this isn’t our first rodeo. Ocean Casino Resort has hosted LGBTQ+-centered events for years, and we were thrilled to continue the Boardwalk’s tradition of inclusivity and acceptance for yet another Pride season. Throughout our history, we’ve hosted: Drag events featuring household-name performers, local up-and-comers, and everyone in between An array of the world’s most renowned entertainers—including LGBTQ+ icons and their supporters Philanthropic events and campaigns dedicated to advocacy efforts in our state and beyond Simply put, Ocean Casino Resort believes that everyone deserves to kick back, rejuvenate, celebrate, and win big on the Boardwalk—no matter where you’re from, whom you love, or what you look like. Our First Pride Sunday Tea Dance In that spirit, we celebrated 2024’s Pride on the Boardwalk. But this year we decided to introduce a brand-new event to our roster: our first-ever Sunday Tea Dance! Setting the Scene at The Cabanas The Sun was shining down on our indoor/outdoor pool and private Cabanas, the perfect place for a Summer party! Ocean Casino Resort’s first Sunday Tea Dance kicked off on June 23 at The Cabanas—our exclusive oasis with picturesque views of the glittering Atlantic Ocean. This event was free and open to everyone 21 and up. We danced to throwbacks and current chart-toppers, enjoyed an array of delicious summer bevs, and sent up toast after toast to celebrate the best month of the year. If you’re looking to celebrate Pride like a VIP, consider booking a cabana or a daybed for your crew! How do you get to the Cabanas? From the Casino Level of the resort, just grab an escalator or elevator ride to the Meeting Level. Step outside onto the Sky Walk, follow the path, and enjoy the warm summer breeze as you follow the path to the Cabanas entrance. What should you bring? Yourself, your ID, and a form of payment if you plan to visit the bar. If you’re planning on taking a dip in one of our micro-pools, we have towels available (and hotel guests can bring their own). What should you wear? Anything you’d like! During Pride, we don’t just request that you go all-out—we strongly encourage it. If there’s ever been a time to take your finest fit for a spin, this is it! Serving Specialty Cocktails This was a night to indulge in creative libations - we served up themed specialty cocktails all night long! The stars of the show were our two signature drinks: Tito’s Spicy Watermelon – Featuring Tito’s vodka, watermelon syrup, lime juice, jalapeño, and ginger beer, this refreshing summer punch is the perfect dancefloor fuel. TitoColada – This vodka-based take on a familiar classic features Tito’s, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice—this is a beach party, after all. The best part: these cocktails supported a great cause. For every drink sold, Tito’s Handmade Vodka donated a portion of the proceeds to Garden State Equality. We’ll touch on all of their important work in a later section. Welcoming Special Guests No Pride event at Ocean Casino Resort would be complete without at least one special guest—and we hosted two of the biggest names in entertainment for our blowout bash. We wanted to deliver infectious beats, perfect remixes, and a dance-friendly playlist to die for; and our Sunday Tea Dance musical guest delivered all of these and then some. DJ Hex Hector, a Grammy-winning producer and remixer extraordinaire, showcased his unmatched talents at the Cabanas all night long. For the best of Atlantic City’s Pride club events, you’ll find your vibe on our oceanfront dancefloor. Hex Hector is a must-see performer who always delivers the ultimate dance experience, and our Sunday Tea Dance attendees were not disappointed. But DJ Hex Hector wasn’t the only familiar face at the Cabanas—we also hosted fitness guru, Dancing with the Stars alum, and TV personality Cody Rigsby! He was on-hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Ocean’s reimagined gym experience at Mussels Fitness Center, featuring new Peloton bikes and a dedicated yoga space. When he’s not dancing for (and to) the likes of Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, and Katy Perry, you can find Cody tearing it up on a Peloton bike for his truly massive audience. This professional dancer-turned-fitness trainer delivers that extra dose of fun to everything he does—and he brought his best moves to The Cabanas dancefloor, and as “guest of honor” at Ocean’s very first Sunday Tea Dance. Supporting the NJ LGBTQ+ Community Our inaugural Sunday Tea Dance was so much more than a Pride celebration—it was a chance to honor and support two incredible organizations doing the work for the LGBTQ+ community in NJ: Garden State Equality is our state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. From organizing health and wellness initiatives to connecting volunteers with legislative impact opportunities, Garden State Equality truly does the most for the New Jersey community. Ocean Casino Resort is thrilled to contribute to Garden State Equality’s extensive efforts. AC Pride is Atlantic City’s local LGBTQ+ advancement organization, and they support our community year-round. Their educational events and philanthropic initiatives aim to increase and sustain inclusivity on the Boardwalk and beyond, and Ocean Casino Resort is proud to partner with them for our Sunday Tea Dance. Sharing our proceeds and building connections with these two critical organizations was a huge priority for us this June. Ocean Casino Resort doesn’t shy away from contributing to positive change, and this year’s Pride season was no exception. Ocean Casino Resort: The Boardwalk’s Pride Headquarters Whether you’re looking for a Pride getaway at one of the many Atlantic City Boardwalk hotels, want to indulge in a solo spa day, or need to shake off reality on the dancefloor, we invite you to join us at Ocean Casino Resort this Summer. Between our luxury accommodations, our glittering events docket, and our signature Pride events, you simply don’t want to miss our ongoing celebrations! Book your stay now.