June 27, 2019 There's only a few things that go on in New York City during the Summer and most of them involve, rooftops or sidewalk soirees, fighting for grass & seating in a public park and swapping out anything indoor for the outdoor. The hot is traded for the iced, the AC becomes mechanical gold and the city becomes surprisingly a little less manic.
But not this weekend! As the host city for World Pride 2019, New York City, which has seen its fair share of antics, stunts and bacchanal behavior, is kind of certifiably electric. So what's one more traffic jam, crowded train or temporary über fare hike if it means epic parties, wall to wall bodies and endless liquor flowing? Well, thankfully I didn't run into any train delays or fare hikes, but the Smirnoff House Of Pride party did cause a traffic jam yesterday evening. Smacked right on one of the city's most renowned streets last night, Smirnoff orchestrated six exciting rooms set up as a unique pop-up experience to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. Appropriately called House Of Pride, it played up ballroom, bar, brothel, house party, Americana, camp and disco themes all centered around the LGBTQIA+ community's past, present and future. 
The party, hosted by Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness, with vamped-up drag performers, wonderfully eclectic appetizers, Timo Weiland spinning on the 1s & 2s and interactive campy props in each of the room all conspired together to enhance the perfectly curated cocktails all made with the well-crafted Smirnoff. I mean, a party where Van Ness emerges out of a rainbow taxi like a saucy Venus DeMilo all while passersby and drivers gawk, stare, smile, regard in peculiar bewilderment then go back to their normal Thursday evening routines is classic New York behavior, no? It was a strong message of pride in that no one should be deterred from living their truth and all of our truths can and should coexist together be it on a frenetic Canal Street in NYC, any Smalltown USA or globally. No house is perfect, since thats boring. Our collective differences teach us about our diversity more than anything and a little Smirnoff on ice only serves to make learning and discovering each other that much more cheeky.
The two limited-edition Smirnoff "Welcome Home" and "Love Wins" bottles are part of the "Welcome Home" campaign celebrating and promoting inclusion and acceptance of all for all. There are six versions of the "Welcome Home" bottle where on each the word 'Welcome' is spelled out in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Mandarin to honor the global LGBTQIA+ communities that were done especially for House Of Pride party, however the only bottles that are available for retail now are the 'Love Wins' bottles. And as always, the top shelf taste of Smirnoff, loving yourself and who you choose is always a win!
www.Smirnoff.com
*Some photos courtesy of Getty Images
