City: Colorado Springs, CO

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Telephone: (719) 633-5600

Description: This is a story of turning lemons into lemonade. In the early ’90s, Colorado Springs took the national spotlight as the base for anti-gay activities and laws. Early festival producers pulled together resources and talent to try and improve the city’s community and reputation by featuring quality lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender films. The first Lavender Film Festival was held in 2000. Now a 3-day event, the festival selects and shows the best short films and features screened at the annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival the previous summer. The festival has persisted through some rough spots but is now the only consistently run LGBT film festival in Colorado. Past years have seen more than 1,000 film buffs enjoy the weekend, and the films get better every year. Your best bet is to plan early and buy a weekend pass, but tickets are available at the door.