The 24th annual Nashville Pride Festival was held Saturday, June 16, at Riverfront Park from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The annual event is a chance for the LGBT community and its allies to gather in celebration of advances made for LGBT equality.
For the first year ever, Nashville Pride started the day with an Equality Walk presented by Fifth Third Bank, a one-mile loop that will include participants from more than 20 community groups as a way to increase awareness beyond the festival gates.
This year’s festival was highly attended, and boasted an eclectic entertainment line-up that included Hello Kelly, Jenn Foster, Ian Harvie, Jermiah Clark, Antigone Rising, Kerli and Kristy Lee on the Bridgestone Main Stage. A variety of popular local acts also performed throughout the day on the Local Stage and the Tribe & Play Entertainment Stage featured DJ’s and drag performances.
Hello Kelly
There was music, food vendors, SWAG and people with no agenda other than having a good time. The crowd was as diverse as could be: I saw people ranging in age from 14 to 70-something. I saw families. I saw people from all races and backgrounds. Business people, blue-collar workers, entertainers, stay-at-home-moms… all coming together with a general sense of happiness and fun.
I was only able to attend a couple hours, but it was a great time. I got to see Hello Kelly, a hot new group I will be covering relatively frequently. I also saw the wonderful Jenn Foster, a crowd favorite. Mayor Karl Dean was also on hand to speak in the early afternoon; proudly conveying that Nashville is a diverse and inclusive city.
The purpose of Nashville Pride is to maintain a sense of community and awareness of, about, and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and culture throughout Middle Tennessee.
For more information, visit www.nashvillepride.org.
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