Aqua Girl - Twelve Years Strong: An Amazing Week….A Great Cause     Purchase Tickets Make A Donation   Short Link: http://goo.gl/IFl56 To easily move the Aqua Girl Landing Page onto your phone or iPad for quick event updates, shoot the QR Code on the left. Use the short goo link above to Tweet, update your Facebook profiles and spread the word!       Source: jumponmarkslist.com via Mark's on Pinterest   AQUA GIRL 2013 GUIDE Ladies, start your engines! -by Paul Rubio Miami’s most anticipated lesbian throw down – Aqua Girl - begins on May 1, 2013! This ‘girls gone wild’ circuit-party unites thousands of beautiful women in America’s sexiest city for a wild and steamy weekend of fun-in-the-sun. More than alcohol-induced shenanigans, Aqua Girl is a party with a cause. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from events benefit the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit-foundation whose primary mission is to promote the equality, strength, health, and visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.   Between May 1 and May 5, 203 South Beach transforms into an Aqua Girl playground with 14 culturally diverse events, including comedy shows, film presentations, and a jazz brunch in addition to the happy hours, dance parties, the sensational pool party and the co-ed beach party. As per usual, several rotating local venues downtown and on the beach will transform ordinary spaces into late night party palladiums for Aqua Girl. However, the Tracy Young headlining, host hotel pool party, “The Beach House,” on Saturday at Kimpton’s Surfcomber, is sure to prevail as the paramount “don’t miss” event.   Below is a mini travel guide to help you prepare for the legendary Aqua Girl. Carpe diem and thank the weather gods for some great South Beach sunshine! Note: tickets for all official events are available online at aquagirl.org.    Slumber Parties   Kimpton’s Surfcomber - This art deco beachfront landmark, serving as one of Aqua Girl’s two host hotels, just received a stunning facelift, after rebranding as a gay-friendly Kimpton property (which also comes with added benefits of complimentary WiFi, coffee, and daily wine hour). The hotel swells to new proportions during the Saturday “Beach House” pool party, also flaunting a respectable following during Friday’s “Splash” Pool Party. Guests should expect summery, stylish guestrooms and a seductive backdrop for poolside fun and after-party indulgences. The common areas exude classic South Beach deco sex appeal. Mention you are part of the Aqua Girl Group to receive a special group rate. Location info on Mark's List here: Kimpton’s Surfcomber   Lord’s South Beach – Stylish and whimsical, Miami’s first gay-centric hotel is smack in the center of beach’s renowned party zone and stumbling distance from everything and anything Aqua Girl. As Aqua Girls’ other host hotel, Lords is sure to have its own scene going on during this jam-packed weekend. Enter the promo code: AQUA GIRL online for a discount. Location info on Mark's List here: Lord’s South Beach   Libations for the Ladies    In addition to the mega dance parties – Thursday’s “Traffic Jam” at Dream Nightclub, Friday’s “Havana Nights” at Nikki Beach, Saturday’s Odyssey at “Grand Central” in downtown – below are a few South Beach institutions for getting’ yo’ drink on during Aqua Girl. Location info on Mark's List here: Dream Nightclub   Palace Bar – South Beach’s only oceanfront gay bar is a come-as-you-are kind of place, where you can sip cocktails and people-watch in your two-piece and tank-top ANYTIME. The drag queen performances are true showstoppers. Friday, May 4th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, the girls take over Palace Bar for Friday night’s official happy hour. For those wanting a chill, co-ed Sunday afternoon, come hang here! Location info on Mark's List here: Palace Bar   Score - Score hit South Beach in the 90s and has looked back since. The chic dance club is always packed and always fun…but mostly with guys! However, Sunday, May 6th from 9:00pm to 3:00am, Score will host the official closing party of Aqua Girl. Location info on Mark's List here: Score   Mova – This sceney hotspot has helped revive the South Beach glam scene with Miami’s easy-on-the-eyes who’s who. Thursday is Mova’s weekly lesbian night. Location info on Mark's List here: Mova   Where to hang in between events   Art Deco District – Stroll Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, and Washington Avenue and the perpendicular side streets to check out the foremost examples of the art deco design movement circa 1930s and 40s. Day or night, the beautiful and eccentric, fashionable and distasteful passing by Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive provide endless hours of entertainment.   Gay Beach – Between 11th and 12th Streets, down the sands from Palace Bar, you can’t miss America’s hottest gay beach. Look for chiseled bodies and fake breasts!   Eating Out   Juvia - The lines are deservedly long at South Beach’s hottest newcomer, the rooftop Juvia, high atop the architecturally inspiring 1111 Lincoln Road parking garage. Four A-list chefs, hailing from the kitchens of headlining restaurants like Nobu, unite for a pan-Asian-European-Latin American gastronomic extravaganza. 1111 Lincoln Rd., juviamiami.com; 305.763.8272   Tudor House - A favorite brunch spot, this is the place to see and be seen nibbling on your hangover food and mimosas, an excellent place to eat through your throbbing headache or spotting your trick from last night with her unbeknownst girlfriend. Location info on Mark's List here: Tudor House   Lantao - Also new and noteworthy in South Beach this summer, Lantao in the Surfcomber host hotel presents the diverse and robust flavors of Asia’s food stalls in a circa 1970s vintage luxe setting. The sights, smells, and tastes are sure to evoke nostalgia for those who’ve dabbled in authentic street cuisine during Southeast Asian sojourns. 1717 Collins Avenue; lantaorestaurant.com; 305.604.1800   Fontainebleau – The billion-dollar Fontainebleau is about a 1.5 miles north of the Aqua Girl festivities, just far enough to escape “the scene” for a few short hours. The Fontainebleau complex is a foodie’s fantasy, with most of Miami’s best restaurants assembled in a single area. Indeed, the complex has reinstated the fashion novelty that placed it on the map more than half a century ago and reminds us of a Golden Era glamour when Elvis Presley and the Rat Pack once performed at the hotel and partied like it was 1999 in their rooms. For great dining, there’s lots to choose from: Gotham Steak by Michelin-star chef Alfred Portale, Scarpetta by Scott Conant, Michelin-starred Hakkasan from London, and Blade Sushi for those seeking lighter fare. Location info on Mark's List here: Fontainebleau   More about Aqua Girl Aqua Girl™ traces its beginnings to the year 1999. That year, Alison Burgos and NYC’s legendary women’s producer, Shescape, gathered a committee of like-minded women from around South Florida to produce an exciting one-night event to benefit breast cancer. The event, Sweet Charity, was an extraordinary dance event bringing together over 800 women and raising over $15,000 for two local breast cancer organizations, Cancer Link and Gilda’s Club. In 2000, Sweet Charity grew into an entire weekend of events and Aqua Girl™ was born. The goal was to create a dynamic national fundraising weekend celebrating women and the issues that effect them. Women descended on Miami from all over the world, and the first year of this spectacular weekend of events was a huge success. We can’t believe how time flies. Now in its eleventh fabulous year, Aqua Girl™ continues to attract women from all corners of the country, the Americas and around the globe. The week continues to grow with an ever-expanding variety of events that enhance its appeal and have created what is now one of the hottest Women’s festivals in the country. At Aqua Girl there is something for everyone, from dance parties, to comedy shows, to live music, to pool parties, to a bowlathon, a jazz brunch, dine-out event, vip reception, an art show to celebrity meet and greets and so much more. Having so much fun, never did so much good. As the largest charity women’s week in the country, your participation in Aqua Girl contributes to a very good cause. In fact, 100% of the proceeds from Aqua Girl benefit the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit-foundation whose primary mission is to promote the equality, strength, health, and visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Monies raised during the Foundation’s signature week, as well as, through individual and corporate donations go directly to educate, empower and foster the lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women’s communities throughout South Florida. Over the past six years the AFW has giving out over $285,000 in grants and scholarships while empowering hundreds of women to be engaged in our community. For more info visit www.aquagirl.org