It’s one of the largest, most popular gay events of the year, but did you know the weeklong Winter Party Festival in Miami does real good for our community, too?

This year’s Winter Party Festival takes place in Miami Beach the week of Feb. 27 through March 5, 2019. It’s one of the most beloved annual events for the LGBTQ community — not just because it’s a week of dancing and DJs, surf and sun, but because a large chunk of its proceeds benefit the work of the National LGBTQ Task Force and various local orgs.

Aimed at creating change for LGBTQ people, the Task Force focuses on passing important legislation, contributing amicus briefs on cases important to the LGBTQ community (like the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop decision) and helping elect LGBTQ people to public office. And the Creating Change Conference, which the Task Force has produced for 30 years, gathers thousands of activists in Washington, D.C., to engage in workshops and panels.

Could there be a more fun way to contribute to all the good the National LGBTQ Task Force is doing than by partying on the beach?

Started in 1994, the Winter Party Festival has grown from one huge dance party in South Beach to a weekend of revelry. These days it’s even bigger — a full week of cocktail parties, stage shows and various programs centered around queer advocacy.

More than 10,000 people attend each year, and unlike most large-scale gay events in the United States, the Winter Party Festival is proud to boast a mostly QPOC (queer people of color) audience.

“Winter Party Festival has always been friendly and inclusive,” says Rene Wolfensberger Winter Party Festival Chair. “This year we wanted to turn it up a notch and encourage everyone — volunteers, committee members, staff and guests — to welcome each other with open arms. It’s an international gesture of inclusion and ties very well into our vision statement: ‘Bringing the world together to create change while celebrating you.'”

This year’s Winter Party Festival lineup has added a new venue into the mix: Nikki Beach Club, one of the Miami Beach area’s most popular beach clubs and nightlife hot-spots. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this new venue to our Winter Party Festival line up,” says Vice Chair Sergio Orlando. Impulse Group, a volunteer organization that collaborates with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is throwing a party at Nikki Beach Club called “Under One Sun: Evolution” on Saturday, March 2. (Find tickets here.)

For a real sense of what can be expected at Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach, check out some more images from last year’s event:

For more info about Winter Party Festival and to purchase tickets, head here.

And head here for more info about the great work done by the National LGBTQ Task Force.