Our nation's capital was flooded with love, light and cuties in crop tops as World Pride touched down in the U.S. capital for the very first time this past weekend. The global LGBTQ+ celebration, which rotates host cities every two years, passed the torch from Sydney to Washington, D.C. — and PAPER was there for every moment.
To kick things off, PAPER hosted a special pre-festival dinner with José Andrés Group at The Bazaar in D.C., bringing together a vibrant collective of LGBTQ+ artists, community tastemakers and the people who champion them. The Bazaar by José Andrés — set in the historic Old Post Office Building and known for its opulent, surrealist décor and inventive Spanish-rooted tapas — was the first stop in our multi-city PAPER Pride event series: a month-long celebration of queer joy in all its forms.
So what was the vibe inside the dinner? Picture tight embraces between old friends, new friendships formed over José Andrés’ playful, modern tapas, like the reimagined “Philly cheesesteak,” and laughter filling every corner of the room. Mean Girls alum Daniel Franzese shared how it feels full circle to be back with the PAPER fam, recalling how being featured in PAPER’s Beautiful People issue in 2002 marked his first major published feature after delivering his now-iconic line, “She doesn’t even go here!”
Star of the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Miami and trans model Carmen Carrera arrived in style with viral sensation Bryan The Diamond. The RuPaul’s Drag Race girlies were out in full force — Aquaria, Derrick Barry and Brita Filter — sharing stories from the werk room to Vegas stages. World Pride performers and DJs like VINCINT, Ty Sunderland, Rayvon Owen and Grammy-winning producer Tracy Young also joined the celebration. Local scene-shapers Pamela McCormick, Dylan Davis, Patrick Duffy, Matthew Kovalsky, Arthur Woods and Timur Tugberk were among the evening’s guests.
The evening included a heartfelt toast honoring the change-makers and guests in the room who continue to create space and push visibility forward in their communities. Special thanks to our partner La Roche-Posay, who gifted guests with skincare goody bags to keep the glow going.
After dinner, we rolled deep with Carrera to the World Pride Ball, where she served as a judge among legendary vogue competitors, before stopping by Frankie Grande’s sexy, sassy set at The Fabric of Freedom party. Later in the weekend at the World Pride Music Festival, the energy soared with performances from queer artists we love — Aluna, Coco & Breezy, Tinashe, Betty Who and none other than Kim Petras, who spoke with us backstage, “Happy World Pride, PAPER Magazine, I love you. It’s been so much fun playing,” before punctuating it with her signature WOO-AH!
Headliner Jennifer Lopez delivered a commanding performance, closing out one of the festival nights with a message to her queer fans: “Your love and your support has been a source of strength for me... and today, I am here to celebrate you.”
Reserve a table at host restaurant of the PAPER Pride Dinner at The Bazaar by José Andrés at Waldorf Astoria Washington DC.
Story: Jason Ve, Mickey Boardman
Photography: Farrah Skeiky
Editorial director: Mickey Boardman
VP brand partnerships: Jamie Granoff
President: Jason Ve
Publisher: Brian Calle
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