Que venham os Ursos: IGLTA . Annual Global Convention 2012

FLORIANÓPOLIS . IGLTA . ANNUAL GLOBAL CONVENTION 2012

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 15th 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.  Checkwww.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.

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

Florianópolis

Florianópolis é a capital do estado de Santa Catarina e uma das três ilhas-capitais do Brasil. Destaca-se por ser a capital brasileira com o melhor índice de desenvolvimento humano (IDH), da ordem de 0,875, segundo relatório divulgado pela ONU em 2000. Esse índice também a torna a quarta cidade brasileira com a melhor qualidade de vida, atrás apenas das cidades de São Caetano do Sul e Águas de São Pedro, no estado de São Paulo, e Niterói, no estado do Rio de Janeiro.

Localiza-se no centro-leste do estado de Santa Catarina e é banhada pelo Oceano Atlântico. Grande parte de Florianópolis (97,23%) está situada na Ilha de Santa Catarina, possuindo cerca de 100 praias, consideradas também as continentais.Possui, segundo o Censo IBGE do ano de 2010, uma população de 421.203 habitantes. Sua região metropolitana possui 1.012.831 habitantes.

Teatro

Há três casas de espetáculo importantes em Florianópolis: o Teatro Ademir Rosa, localizado no Centro Integrado de Cultura (CIC), o Teatro Álvaro de Carvalho, na Praça Pereira Oliveira e o Teatro Pedro Ivo Campos, situado no Centro Administrativo do Estado (SC 401). Existem ainda salas menores como o Teatro da Igrejinha na Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Teatro da UBRO, Teatro Armação e a sala de teatro do SESC, todas no centro da cidade.

Museus e galerias de Arte

São variados os museus e galerias na capital catarinense. Na região central destacam-se o Museu Victor Meirelles (casa onde viveu o pintor, com obras em exposição) e a galeria de arte da Fundação Cultural Badesc. No Centro Integrado de cultura (CIC) destacam-se o Museu de Arte de Santa Catarina - MASC, Museu da Imagem e Som e Espaço Lindolf Bell. No Palácio Cruz e Souza, está instalado o Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina com relíquias que contam um pouco da história do estado. Outros espaços são o Museu de Armas Major Lara Ribas, localizado no Forte Sant'Ana (ao lado da Ponte Hercílio Luz), que expõe artigos bélicos e históricos, a Galeria de Arte e o Museu Universitário da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina e a galeria do Espaço Cultural Arquipélago, localizado no bairro Agronômica.

Pontos Turísticos

Considerada por muitos habitantes e turistas que a visitam como detentora de uma beleza singular, dotada de fortes traços da cultura açoriana, observados nas edificações, artesanato, no folclore, culinária e nas tradições religiosas, Florianópolis tem no turismo uma de suas principais fontes de renda.

Dentre os atrativos turísticos da capital salientam-se, presentemente, além das praias, as localidades onde se instalaram as primeiras comunidades de imigrantes açorianos, como Ribeirão da Ilha, Lagoa da Conceição, Santo Antônio de Lisboa e o próprio centro histórico da cidade.

Entre os principais eventos destacam-se:

Festa Nacional da Ostra - (FENAOSTRA)

Ironman - campeonato mundial de triatlo radical

Fonte: Wikipedia

Ponte Hercílio Luz

Florianópolis . La Isla de Santa Catarina

Florianópolis es la capital del estado brasileño de Santa Catarina, nombrada así en homenaje al ex-presidente Floriano Peixoto, en reemplazo de su anterior denominación "Nossa Senhora do Desterró" (Nuestra Señora del Destierro).

Historia de sus nombres

Inicialmente los españoles la llamaron Santa Catalina al igual que la isla en donde está su núcleo histórico, luego recibió la denominación en español y en portugués de Santa Catharina o Santa Catarina y oficialmente el nombre de Nuestra Señora del Destierro, durante el siglo XIX e inicios de siglo XX los brasileños la llamaron Desterro. Desde fines de siglo XX es frecuente que se la llame coloquialmente Floripa y se le apode "Isla de la Magia" esto último -se dice- debido a que allí se habrían refugiado varios alquimistas durante el período colonial tanto español como portugués.

Playas

Se consideraba que Florianópolis tenía 42 playas, siendo este durante décadas uno de los slogans del municipio. Por encargo del IPUF (Instituto de Planeamiento Urbano de Florianópolis), se realizó, por primera vez, un análisis completo sobre las playas de la capital catarinense. Fueron mapeadas más de 100 playas. Como el objetivo del trabajo era toponímico, para cumplir la ley municipal que determina la señalización de todas las playas, quedaron fuera más de una decena que, de tan desconocidas, no poseían denominación.

La isla de Santa Catalina posee una forma alargada y estrecha, con un promedio de 54 km de largo y 18 km de ancho. Con litoral bastante recortado, posee varias puntas, islas, bahías y lagunas. La isla está situada paralelamente al continente, separadas por un estrecho canal.

Su relieve es formado por crestas montañosas y discontinuas, sirviendo como divisor de aguas de la isla. Las altitudes varían entre 400 y 532 metros. El punto más alto da la isla es el "Morro do Ribeirão", con 532 metros de altura.

Paralelamente a las montañas surgen amplias planicies, en dirección al este y en la porción noroeste de la isla. En la parte este de la isla, hay dunas formadas por la acción del viento.

Fuente: Wikipedia

Bar do Deca

Florianópolis crece con el turismo gay

Según las revistas especializadas del sector, Florianópolis se ubica como el tercer mejor destino de Brasil para albergar al turismo gay. Y pese a que en los últimos años las parejas gay han sumado más libertades en todo el mundo, todavía ciertas sociedades han de sentirse incómodas al presenciar en la vía pública a una pareja del mismo sexo.

En las playas de Florianópolis hay un pequeño espacio en el que los gays conviven con quienes quieran sin ser observados. Por ejemplo, en la Praia Mole existe desde hace 27 años el Bar do Deca, ubicado justo sobre La Galheta, una playa que parece escondida al estar encerrada entre piedras. Allí mismo, estas parejas pueden disfrutar libremente a salvo de prejuicios y miradas.

En la Pousada La Galheta es común reservar una cama matrimonial para dos hombres o mujeres sin que el personal del establecimiento haga reparos.

Pues bien, también existen otros sitios de asistencia gay aunque no sean conocidos ni se promocionen como tal. Por ejemplo, en Campeche, el parador Riozinho recibe y satura su capacidad como así también en la disco Concorde que prácticamente es una disco gay, al igual que las discos Dr. Zhivago y el Mix Café Club.

Florianópolis debería ser el ejemplo de una ciudad que brinda espacios para el turismo gay. Muchas más deberéis transitar el mismo camino.

Fuente: Absolut Brasil

Lea también: Movida Gay y Lesbica en Santa Catarina