When it began 15 years ago, Women’s FEST used to be a pretty modest event .
“Women’s FEST has grown in the last 15 years from being a six hour on a Saturday where we had a workshop and a lunch and a little bit of entertainment," said CAMP Rehoboth founder and executive director Steve Elkins.
Now approaching its 15th year, the four-day event will attract well over two thousand LGBT women from the Mid-Atlantic region. Women’s FEST is an annual fundraising event for nonprofit LGBT rights organization CAMP Rehoboth.
The festival will feature over 40 activities that include dance parties, comedians, speed dating and sporting events. There will also be 18 interactive workshops from financial management and grief counseling to making cocktails.
Shelley Couch, a spokesperson for CAMP Rehoboth, says the event is a great opportunity for women in the LGBT community to network and mingle. She adds that businesses in Rehoboth Beach will support the event by offering discounts and specials for participants of Women Fest.
“At this time of the year, it’s just great to see the streets flooded with women up and down the coast, and our community welcoming them with open arms," said Couch
Women’s FEST is a mix of fun and serious, she added.
"If you want to learn something new, that's great, but if you want to just have a great time, we’ve got that for you too," said Couch.
Basically, if you want to discuss the Indiana religious freedom restoration act--there’s guaranteed to be a workshop for that. If you just want to drink cocktails and dance, that’s part of the itinerary as well.
Women’s fest will take place in several locations, including CAMP Rehoboth’s center on Baltimore Avenue and the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. The events start on Thursday, April 9th and go on until Sunday.
Women’s Fest is an annual event approaching its 15th year - it’s raised about $20,000 dollars a year on average for CAMP Rehoboth - which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
