Anthem Orlando
Anthem Orlando Credit: Courtesy

“We opened at 7 p.m. and we were still under construction. Literally as people were coming in the front door. I’ll never forget, Anna Eskamani was one of the first people to walk in, and she’s like, ‘Mike, this place is beautiful.’ I was like, ‘Thank you so much. Feel free to grab a drink at the bar, but please wait a little while for the restrooms to be completed.’”

Michael Vacirca, co-owner of Anthem, is reminiscing with Orlando Weekly about the challenges of opening his LGBTQ+ nightspot on the Friday next of a very bustling Come Out With Pride weekend last year. For him, it was an important gesture to open during the Pride event, to “have that connection built into the space.”

Now, one year later, the nightclub is firmly ensconced downtown and in the broader world of Orlando nightlife, with a busy slate of world-famous DJs ready to move bodies amidst Come Out With Pride festivities this weekend.

Pride festivities kick off at the now 1-year-old Anthem Orlando on Thursday with a special edition of their weekly Latin night with DJ Jerry and the House of San Miguel performing drag. Friday night (the weekday of their opening) features the Arrebato party starting in the afternoon, and as evening falls DJ Jerac from Colombia and Leo Blanco from Spain will be playing back-to-back all night, with an opening set from Nani Soul.

“Expect a lot of surprises. Expect a lot of really cool entertainment and decor,” teases Vacirca. 

On Saturday, the Most Colorful Parade actually begins at Anthem — the official host venue for Come Out With Pride — at the corner of Washington Street and Orange Avenue. Even before the parade starts, Anthem opens their doors to revelers at noon for a free party happening both inside and outside. At around 8 p.m., things kick off in earnest with a ticketed party featuring DJ Dani Brasil spinning indoors. At 11 p.m., Brasil heads outdoors to spin in the parking lot and DJ Nitro from Colombia takes over inside, with festivities going into the wee hours. And yes, the floor keeps moving on Sunday with the Afterglow party starting in the daytime and stretching far into the night featuring sets from DJs Erik Vilar from Brazil, Matty Anderson and Erik Armiliato from Brazil.

“I’m always thrilled to be part of Pride celebrations around the world! Whenever I perform during such a special and meaningful weekend, I make sure my set is filled with tracks that truly capture the spirit of Pride — celebrating love, freedom and self-expression,” Vilar, whose Anthem sets will be his Orlando debut, tells Orlando Weekly. “It’s incredibly meaningful to me. This weekend holds such a deep purpose, and music is my way of expressing that.”

Even one year later, Vacirca vividly remembers feeling the initial sense of mission in opening Anthem on Orange Avenue, “putting us as a community back in a downtown space.”

“We’re part of Orlando, and we’re not backing down and we’re not going away,” he adds. “The previous generation has done an excellent job of getting us the rights that we have today, to the point that we are today. And it’s now up to us as the next generation to make sure that we keep that, and we don’t lose that, and we don’t let people take that back from us. So having a space downtown really is important as a symbol, to say we are here.”

Even the name of the club — Anthem — is intentional as “a rallying cry,” says Vacirca. “This should be a rallying place for our community to come together and to celebrate and enjoy each other, but also to be here for the highs, the lows and everything in between.”

For a new venue, Anthem has distinguished itself quickly as a friendly hosting space for not only advocacy and political engagement — Eskamani held a campaign event with drag artist and activist Darcel Stevens over the summer — but also a calendar that, aside from big-name bookings, is going the extra mile in platforming young and adventurous local talent who perhaps otherwise you wouldn’t see on a downtown stage. We’re thinking particularly of the recurring alternative drag-king-forward showcase Dragged From the Grave on Mondays, and the monthly show curated by trans force-of-nature and “Fashion Polka Queen of Drag” Adi Love, dubbed Adi’s Love Fest. 

“The crux of what we’re doing here is giving that next generation the opportunity to perform here while also providing a safe space,” says Vacirca, “and a place for them to connect with other people in the community who may have a little bit more experience that could help guide them and teach them how to grow as an artist.”

“If you have an idea, bring it to us,” he adds about encouraging new performers. “We want everyone to feel that this venue is for them, and that it reflects who they are within these walls.”

And speaking of new faces, Anthem is actively platforming international DJs — many of whom are on the Come Out With Pride lineups we mentioned a few paragraphs back. 

“We want to really give Orlando a showcase of different talent that’s available within the LGBTQ+ scene, and show them all sorts of DJs, both local as well as international, and bring them to the city so people here can enjoy music from everywhere,” says Vacirca.

“On the dancefloor, all differences fade away and everyone connects on the exact same frequency,” says Vilar of music’s power to unify. “Bringing international artists to a venue like Anthem shows that music can still bridge cultures and unite people, no matter how divided the world gets.”

Vacirca, while looking forward to what’s on the horizon, still finds himself reminiscing about Anthem’s opening — and the emotions are still there.

“Seeing people come together and be joyful for the first time in a very long time in a space downtown, right during the parade. It took my breath away,” Vacirca says. “Being able to offer that, and now knowing that we’ve offered that every single day for an entire year, I can’t wish for anything more.”

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This article appears in Oct. 14-20, 2026.