A new monthly LGBT party will come to the Gayborhood to bring new flavor and diversity starting later this month. Candela Sabados, Philly’s new queer Latin party, will premiere 10 p.m.-2 a.m. March 29 at Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar, 200 S. 12th St. There will be a $5 cover charge and guests will get drink and food specials. Party co-founders Nikki Lopez (DJ NiiLO) and Carlos Aviles (DJ Loso) will host, along with New York-based emcee Tear Drop. Lopez and Aviles, both employees of GALAEI: A Queer Latin@ Social Justice Organization, founded the party to help create visibility for the queer Latino community. “We want to pay honor and homage to the community because Philly has a rich history of queer Latinos who were first in doing parties,” Lopez said. She said the idea developed from conversations she had with peers in the queer Latin community. “We wanted to have a space that showed the beautiful diversity of what it means to be Latin. As it stands right now, there is no venue that offered that kind of Latinidad. I have been DJing in Philly and I was like, ‘I have to stop complaining about not having that space and create something.’” Candela Sabados will run every fourth Saturday at Tabu and will feature a new Philadelphia-based Latino DJ every time. Lopez said Tabu has hosted a wealth of diverse events and that the bar was the perfect location for Candela Sabados. “It just feels like a neighborhood bar,” she said. “You can get to know the bartenders and they host a number of events that reflected what we were looking for.” Lopez said the upstairs of the venue will offer dancing, whereas the downstairs portion will offer a more “relaxed” option for those who just want to lounge. Just as the offerings at the party will be diverse, Lopez said, she expects the crowd to be as well. “The LGBT community isn’t just one particular image. We wanted to bring that culture to the Gayborhood,” she said. “For me, doing social-justice work is tiresome and I think coming out to the event, we are here to celebrate all of our diversity — that makes us who we are. This is a chance to support people within our community and have a chance to let loose and be able to light the fire and have a place to celebrate the beauty that represents our community.” For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/586151451477178.
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