Wed. March 22, 2006
Chicago, IL -
General tickets to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Chicago 2006 Gay Games will go on sale at noon (CST) on Saturday, 25 March 2006 at http://tickets.gaygameschicago.org.
Limited-availability Premium Ticket Packages – premium advance tickets to both ceremonies – are currently on sale.
Opening Ceremony – 15 July 2006 – Soldier Field
More than any one element, the Opening Ceremony carries the power of experience and personal transformation that typifies the history and significance of almost 25 years of the Gay Games. The event begins with the traditional processional with thousands of athletes and artists entering the stadium organized by cities. Following the participant oath, the athletes take their seats and an incredible entertainment show begins.
Tickets to the Opening Ceremony are $50, $70, $80, $100, $125 and $150.
Closing Ceremony – 22 July 2006 – Wrigley Field
Chicago bids farewell to world visitors amidst spectacle and celebration in historic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. An afternoon event, Closing Ceremony will be followed by a community celebration in the Lakeview neighborhood with area establishments and community organizations helping mark the end of an incredible 8 days.
Tickets to the Closing Ceremony are $50, $75 and $90.
Tickets to all Gay Games events, including sporting events, concerts, special tours and parties, are all available online at http://Tickets.GayGamesChicago.org.
The expected 12,000 Gay Games 2006 participants do not need to purchase ceremony tickets since their registration fee includes premiere seating at both ceremonies. Athlete registration still is open at http://www.gaygameschicago.org/registration/.
About Gay Games VII
Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will take place 15-22 July 2006. Over 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis. The weeklong event will include band, cheerleading and color guard performances, chorus, an ancillary arts festival, and a series of community-organized social events and parties. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 15 July at Soldier Field, the lakefront home stadium of American-style football’s Chicago Bears. Closing ceremony will be 22 July at Wrigley Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, located in the heart of Chicago’s largest LGBT neighborhood.
Global sponsors of Gay Games VII include Lexiva; PlanetOut/Gay.com; Q Television Network; Walgreens; Centaur Entertainment; The New York Times; Fleishman Hillard International Communications; Orbitz; Sydney New Mardi Gras; Windy City Media Group; Chicago Sun-Times; Olivia Cruises & Resorts; Lambda Legal Defense; McKnight Kurland Baccelli; Human Rights Campaign; Chicago Free Press; Mate, Genre, Pink and Girlfriends Magazines; and more than 130 business sponsors.
Registration for Gay Games VII is now open at http://www.GayGamesChicago.org (English), http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/es/ (Spanish), http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/fr/ (French), and http://www.GayGamesChicago.org/de/ (German).
Photo: 2002 Gay Games Ceremony, photo copyright Bianchi 2002
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