Arts & Entertainment

Previewing D.C.’s WorldPride Music Festival

Producer Jake Resnicow on unforgettable event with genres from disco to country

Published

1 year ago

January 17, 2025

The Dreamland WorldPride Music Festival is set to be held at RFK Stadium June 6-7, 2025. (Photo courtesy Club Glow)

As WorldPride draws closer, Washington, D.C. is getting ready to celebrate on multiple levels. One major event is the Dreamland WorldPride Music Festival, to be held at RFK Stadium (2400 East Capitol St., N.E.) from June 6-7, 2025. This music festival will serve as the centerpiece of the city’s WorldPride celebration, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of D.C. Pride.

Local electronic dance music event promoter Club Glow is putting on the show, bringing in celebrated producer Jake Resnicow, to create a giant festival. Under the direction of Resnicow and Club Glow, the festival will feature a diverse, yet-to-be-named lineup featuring pop superstars, live performers, DJs, and plenty of local talent. The festival aims to showcase the vibrant spectrum of LGBTQ culture, with musical genres ranging from disco to country, bringing together performers from a range of backgrounds who resonate with Capital Pride’s values and with the attendees.

The Washington Blade conducted an exclusive interview with Jake Resnicow about the festival. The interview has been slightly condensed for clarity.

BLADE: What is your background and role in the nightlife scene?

RESNICOW: I’ve always been passionate about creating spaces where people can express themselves freely. My journey into live events began in 2010 with a Pride event on Governors Island. It was a transformative experience that showed me the power of live events to bring joy and build community. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of producing events like WorldPride at the Javits Center, where we raised over $500,000 for LGBTQ+ charities, as well as the first-ever Pride in Central Park. These events have been about more than just entertainment; they aim to support and uplift the LGBTQ+ community.

BLADE: How did you get involved in the WorldPride Festival with Capital Pride?

RESNICOW: After producing several Pride festivals and witnessing their impact, the opportunity to bring this energy to the largest stage feels like a culmination of a long-held vision. I’m truly honored to collaborate with Pete Kalamoutsos, Heather Church, and Matt Cronin — the driving force behind Project GLOW. Pete has been a leader in the dance music scene for over 25 years. He, Heather, and Matt have not only shaped the East Coast’s electronic music landscape but have also shown unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community. Their commitment to elevating dance culture, especially through Project GLOW, is remarkable. Beyond the music, the team has incorporated community-focused initiatives, such as highlighting Washington, D.C.’s LGBTQIA+ community through dedicated stages and collaborating with local charities like Sasha Bruce Youthwork. Working with Pete, Heather, and Matt is like joining a dream team — they have an incredible vision and are passionate about making a difference. Together, we aim to create a historic WorldPride 2025 Music Festival that resonates with attendees and leaves a lasting legacy.

BLADE: What does this event mean to the LGBTQ nightlife community?

RESNICOW: WorldPride 2025 is more than just a music festival; it’s a space for celebration, reflection, and visibility. For the LGBTQ nightlife community, it’s an opportunity to come together, celebrate our identities, and amplify voices that have been historically marginalized. In a world where less than 1% of charting artists identify as LGBTQIA+, this festival is a platform to change that narrative. I’m particularly proud to serve on the board of Femme House, where we work to address this underrepresentation by providing resources and opportunities for queer musicians to thrive. This festival symbolizes a safe, inclusive environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and celebrated.

BLADE: What will the festival entail?

RESNICOW: The festival will offer a multi-day experience filled with music, art, and community engagement. Attendees can expect a blend of live performances, immersive activations, art installations, and wellness zones. To me, queer entertainment has evolved beyond nightlife; it’s now a cultural movement that intertwines art, music, fashion, and activism. This evolution has shaped how I approach my events, pushing me to create spaces that are not just safe and inclusive but also challenge and redefine what live entertainment can be. WorldPride 2025 is about creating something larger than a single event; it’s about fostering a movement that celebrates the full spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. We aim to offer spaces for connection, self-expression, and reflection, incorporating elements that give back to the community and support causes that matter most to us.

BLADE: What are some elements and activations that are part of the festival?

RESNICOW: Beyond the music, there will be a variety of interactive experiences and spaces that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture. This includes art installations, wellness zones, educational areas, and spaces for community organizations to engage with festival-goers. Our goal is to create a holistic experience that goes beyond the traditional festival setup, offering attendees a place to connect, learn, and celebrate in diverse ways.

BLADE: How do WorldPride and the festival connect to the D.C. community?

RESNICOW: Washington, D.C. has a rich history of LGBTQ+ activism and culture, and this festival holds personal significance for me. Having attended Georgetown University, I feel a deep connection to this community and its legacy. WorldPride 2025 is my way of giving back, aiming to create a festival that resonates on a deeply personal level for all of us. I want to create a musical experience that the community will remember, one that celebrates our progress and inspires us for years to come. This event is designed to leave a lasting impression, not just as a festival but as a moment of unity and pride.

A core aspect of WorldPride 2025 is its commitment to giving back. The festival will support the nonprofit Capital Pride Alliance, which serves the needs of the LGBTQ+ community year-round. We’re building on the legacy of our previous events, where we raised substantial funds for LGBTQ+ causes. This isn’t just about a single weekend of celebration; it’s about creating lasting change. Additionally, based on the overwhelming presale response, we’re on track to potentially set a new world record for the largest Pride festival ever. This reflects not only the excitement for the event but also the strength and unity of our community. We’re striving to make the festival a historic moment that has a meaningful, positive impact on both the local D.C. community and the LGBTQ+ community at large.

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Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

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