Gecko Ball Tickets Go On Sale July 4

GULFPORT, FL – Grab your tie-dye shirts and love beads: Gulfport will put on its hippie best for the community’s biggest event of the year.

Tickets for the ninth annual Gecko Ball will be available starting Tuesday, July 4 at 9 a.m.. The theme for this year’s event, which is set for Saturday, Aug. 26, will be “Geckostock!” – a nod to the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

Décor and scenery will highlight the best of the psychadelic era, from hippies to rock stars and other late-1960s cultural and political touchstones. Organizers are encouraging attendees to develop costumes relating to Woodstock, hippies, the 1960s, geckos or any creative combination. The event will also include its traditional costume contest.

Geckostock will take place at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom, 5500 Shore Blvd. S from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The event will feature live music by the Throwback Band, featuring ’60s-era pop, rock and soul music. Hundreds of silent auction items will be up for bid, as well as the annual live auction of the artist-created geckos. The event will be topped off with the coronation of Gulfport’s next Gecko Queen.

Tickets are $35 and will go on sale at the Gulfport Welcome Center, 3101 Beach Blvd. S., or the Gulfport Beach Bazaar, 3115 Beach Blvd. S. Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit or debit card at http://geckofest.com/.

While supplies last, reserved tables of 10 or 12 are available for group reservations, only if all tickets for the table are purchased in person at the Gulfport Welcome Center in one transaction.

The City of Gulfport celebrates the gecko each ear with a series of whimsical events at the end of the summer. The Gecko Ball takes pace one week prior to the 17th annual GeckoFest street festival, on Saturday, Sept. 2. Each year, the ball’s theme also lends itself to costumes that GeckoFest participants are encouraged to wear during the Fest’s walking parade.

The 10th annual Gecko Crawl is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12 and the third annual Art Gecko Show will take place throughout August with an opening reception on Friday, Aug. 4.

All Gecko events are sponsored by the non-profit Gulfport Merchants Association. A portion of the proceeds is donated to local charities each year. Community Support Grants this year will be made to the Creative Play Preschool and the Sonia Plotnick Health Fund.

For more information and updates on the Gecko Ball, visit www.facebook.com/GeckoBall.

Image courtesy of Gulfport Merchants Association