MIAMI BEACH — The producers of the fifth annual Miami Beach Gay Pride have announced that Miami Beach Matti Herrera Bower has been selected as Grand Marshal for the parade and festival, which takes place Sunday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., along Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th Streets.

“Everyone in the community owes Matti a big ‘thank you’ for being the one who inaugurated Miami Beach Gay Pride five years ago,” said Babak Movahedi, chair of the event’s board of directors. “The Grand Marshal honor is our way of recognizing her role as the godmother of Pride and honoring her unwavering support of the LGBT community. Without her leadership, there might not be a Pride today for our residents and visitors to celebrate.”

In one of her first directives as the new mayor of Miami Beach in 2008, Bower created the LGBT Business Enhancement Committee and authorized the development of an LGBT Pride celebration for Miami Beach. Prior to that, there had not been a Pride celebration anywhere in Miami-Dade County for more than 10 years. In 2009, the first Miami Beach Gay Pride drew 15,000 attendees, far exceeding the anticipated 5,000 person attendance. Last year, the event brought more than 60,000 revelers from all walks of life and all parts of the country to South Beach.

The organizers also announced that joining Mayor Bower for the Pride celebration are international superstar Adam Lambert, chart-topping performer Crystal Waters, and entertainer Lady Bunny.