For 40 years, South Florida Pride Bands has brought people together around something they love: making music. Some members have played for decades, while others return to an instrument after years away. What they find is a place to perform, make friends and be part of South Florida’s LGBTQ+ community.
Founded in 1986, South Florida Pride Bands is Florida’s oldest LGBTQ+ performing arts organization. Today, it brings together more than 150 musicians through its performing ensembles and programs, including the Concert Band, Jazz Band and Steel Band, creating music for audiences throughout South Florida. The organization welcomes LGBTQ+ musicians, youth and allies at different levels of experience, making the invitation to participate almost as important as the performances themselves.
As South Florida Pride Bands launches its 41st season, there’s a new person holding the baton. Sara Cowley is beginning her tenure as Artistic Director, becoming the first woman to lead the organization in its more than four-decade history.
Cowley’s first season starts by making a splash with Waves and Wanderers, an immersive concert presented by The Bears of South Florida on Saturday, November 7, at The Parker. The program turns water into both inspiration and storyteller, with music influenced by rain, rivers and oceans along with the spirit of exploration.
The musical journey moves through tranquility, power, mystery and celebration, giving the audience an opportunity to experience just how many moods and stories can flow from a single theme.
“We’re excited to begin this new season with a program that gives our musicians an opportunity to explore the many moods and stories that music can tell,” Cowley said. “Waves and Wanderers invites audiences to reflect, dream and wander with us, and it sets the stage for an exciting season ahead.”
After 40 years of making music and building community, South Florida Pride Bands is beginning its next season with a new Artistic Director and a concert designed to take the audience somewhere along with them.
Waves and Wanderers begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 7, 2026 at The Parker, 707 NE 8th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $50 and available through The Parker.
On November 7, dive in and let the music take you somewhere unexpected.
South Florida Pride Bands
Web: https://southfloridapridebands.org/
Waves and Wanderers is at the Parker Playhouse – November 7, 2026 : Get Tickets Here
