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Performers take the stage at the Tropicana for the Golden Rainbow Ribbon of Life fundraiser in 2019.
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Golden Rainbow, the Las Vegas nonprofit founded in 1987 to provide housing and financial assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS in Southern Nevada, has been forced to wait patiently to bring one of its biggest annual fundraising events, Ribbon of Life, back to the stage at the Tropicana.
The variety show featuring a multitude of Las Vegas entertainers and artists has been presented in the Legends In Concert Theater at the Trop for eight years, but the last event was in 2019 and raised more than $75,000. Executive Director Gary Costa said after the COVID shutdown of 2020, it was set to return in June 2021 and then this past summer, but pandemic circumstances caused another date change.
But it’s back at last this week at the same showroom, and the new timing allows producers to add a Holiday Spectacular theme they’ve always wanted to present. This year’s special 34th Ribbon of Life is set for December 4 at 1 p.m. at the Legends In Concert Theater, and tickets (starting at $45) are available at goldenrainbow.org/ribbonoflife.
“There are a lot of performers and choreographers contributing this year [that] I haven’t seen face to face since 2019,” Costa said. “It feels like everybody is coming home and celebrating the holidays together at last.”
The show will once again be hosted by Las Vegas drag star Edie from Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity” and “Faaabulous! The Show,” with TV personality Sean McAllister. Performers from Las Vegas Strip shows “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live” at the Flamingo, “Bat Out of Hell” at Paris, and “Michael Jackson One” at Mandalay Bay will take the stage along with other musicians, dancers, comedians and magicians, and a tribute to the late Siegfried and Roy will be part of the show.
A lot has changed for the Golden Rainbow community in the last three years, including the organizers and volunteers that make Ribbon of Life a reality.
“The needs of our clients have changed but so has the challenge of putting on a major fundraiser. Some of our performers have lost their jobs or moved on to other cities, so we are creating the show this year with different volunteers and performers,” Costa said. “The impact [of the pandemic] on the entertainment community has happened on several different levels.”
As important as it is to bring the show back to life, it’s just another step in the recovery of the organization, which was originally founded by members of the Las Vegas entertainment industry who saw the need to assist their fellow performers, friends and others living with AIDS. Golden Rainbow continues to focus on housing, and with higher rental fees and mortgage rates, the group’s tough task isn’t getting any easier.
“We know if a person takes their medication daily, they not only improve and stabilize their health, it prevents them from being able to spread HIV to others. And all the research from around the country shows the number one barrier for people to consistently take medications is housing and that stability,” Costa said. “Post-pandemic, we’re seeing rentals and home prices go through the roof, and there’s not enough affordable housing to move into.”
The organization just completed the purchase of a building that will be renovated into exactly that, affordable housing for its clients, and Costa said they will be making a big announcement at Ribbon of Life that will “drastically change the housing needs.”
