Listen to this articleThis year’s Utah Pride Days begin May 17 with the Utah Pride Spectacular, which was held previously on the Wednesday or Thursday before the big festival weekend and parade.
The Utah Pride Festival is a community event which features a broad spectrum of activities and entertainment. The 44th Utah Pride Festival is scheduled for June 1-2 at Washington Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Pride 2019 is excited to offer additional celebratory events, diverse food and booth vendors, venue upgrades, and excellent entertainment options.
The overall theme this year is “Exist. Resist. Persist. Celebrating 50 years of Stonewall”. The beginnings of Pride worldwide are generally attributed to an uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village in June, 1969.
From its humble beginnings in 1974 as an informal gathering in a park, the Utah Pride Festival has come a long way. It’s now a major Salt Lake City event that grows bolder and brighter each year. The festival empowers the LGBTQ+ community of Salt Lake, as well as the state as a whole, to come together and celebrate. The festival is also now attended by more than 50,000 people each year. In 2018, the Pride Parade attracted 50,000 spectators.
Booths and Parade
Applications are now being taken at utahpridecenter.org for booth rentals and parade entries. Plus, standard registration for exhibitors ends April 20, with late registration extending through May 10, depending on availability. Rates vary on profit/nonprofit status and the size of the organization. Small grassroots, and arts/crafts organizations, may participate in a booth with other similar groups. Additionally, there will be an interactive zone, and a new kink zone is still in the works.
Parade applications are available through April 1. Because of the continued growth, new this year is a series of questions on the application which will help a selection committee determine participation. Parade organizers typically receive more than 200 applications, but only 150 are accommodated. Consideration applies to the size of the float and/or participants of the parade entry, its focus on the LGBTQ+ community, and the “intersectionality of oppression” of the applying group.
Schedule
The Pride Spectacular kicks off Utah Pride Days on Friday, May 17, 6-9:30 p.m., at the Union Events Center, 235 N. 500 West.
The REAL Salt Lake Pride Night takes place at their stadium at 9256 State St., in Sandy, with date and details forthcoming.
The Pride Interfaith Service is on Thursday, May 30, 7-8 p.m., at the Christ United Methodist Church, 2375 E. 3300 South. The guest speaker is Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop at the UMC.
The Youth Pride Dance is scheduled for June 1, 8-11 p,m,, on the festival grounds – entrance at 500 S. State St.
The Outdoors and Proud 5K run is on the morning of June 1, starting at 8 a.m., at the Jordan Park & Peace Gardens, 1060 S. 900 West.
The annual Pride March and Rally takes place also on June 1, from the Utah State Capitol to 350 N. State St., starting at 1 p.m. The Pride Festival begins on June 1, also at 1 p.m., at Washington Square.
Then on Sunday, June 2, the Pride Parade begins at 10 a.m., at West Temple and moves along 200 South to 400 East (festival grounds area).
Other events are in planning stages as well, and will be notified through QSaltLake Magazine and qsaltlake.com, along with the entertainment lineup.
