The 42nd annual Tucson Pride in the Desert Festival will be held this year on Saturday Sept. 28 at Reid Park. The festival has grown immensely from years past with an expected 4,000 attendees this year and 100 local vendors and sponsors.
A parade leading to the festival itself will be parade will begin at 11 a.m. at Country Club Road and Broadway Boulevard, finishing out at Reid Park at noon where the actual festival will take place. The parade is free of charge to watch.
This year’s theme, Rise Up, pays homage to the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, according to Tucson Pride’s website. The Stonewall Riots took place in June of 1969 and are often cited as the event that birthed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Many Pride events pay homage to the Stonewall riots, but Tucson has its own special reason. In 1976, a young gay man was murdered outside Tucson’s Stonewall Tavern and his killers were barely reprimanded, sparking Tucson’s own pride movement. Tucson Pride was founded the very following year, according to their website.
The festival will begin at noon and continue until 9 p.m. This year’s festival will include main stage performances by Billboard charting artist Debby Holiday and many other artists. There will also be a dance tent where DJs Shorty, Tega and Remix will be performing.
The parade festival is an all-ages event and there will be a Kidzone at the festival.
Tickets for the festival are $20 for general admission, $15 for students, veterans, active duty personnel, seniors or first respondents, $5 for children ages 13-18 and free of charge for children under 12.
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