Memphis Pride Festival – Memphis Flyer

June, if you can imagine, is already here, and that means it’s time for Pride. This year’s Memphis Pride Fest, which bills itself as the largest gathering of LGBTQ people in the Mid-South, promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with a theme of “Embrace Your Story,” a celebration of diversity, strength, and unity.

Headlining the event organized by Mid-South Pride is Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, a fan-favorite from season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and 37 local drag entertainers and four local bands will join the lineup across two stages. The festival will also host over 175 booths, providing a wide array of activities suitable for all ages, from engaging games, to history and educational exhibits, to arts and crafts. Admission to the festival starts at $1.

Kicking off the day, of course, is the annual parade which starts at Fourth and Beale before making its way through the historic Beale Street Entertainment District. The procession features over 100 units with 2,500+ participants from myriad organizations. “The energy that comes off of everyone at the parade is amazing, you can feel it in the air,” Vanessa Rodley, Mid-South Pride president and festival director, said in a press release. “It’s almost like it’s vibrating. It’s the most colorful weekend of the year and you can see it and feel it!”

But the celebrations don’t begin nor do they end with the festival. In fact, they start on Thursday, May 30th, with the ever-popular Drag N Drive, which will feature a screening of Mean Girls (2004) followed by a drag/video showcase. On Friday, May 31st, Friends For All will host the Big Gay Dance Party, where attendees will enjoy music, dancing, drinks, and a safe, inclusive environment. The party will also have free HIV and STI testing, and Friends For All will debut its brand-new mobile care unit.

The weekend wraps up with the Grand Marshal Drag Brunch, a laid-back yet lively brunch with local drag performers on the Cossitt Library lawn.

For more information on all that’s happening this weekend and to purchase tickets to any of these events, visit midsouthpride.org.

Drag N Drive, Summer Drive-In, 5310 Summer, Thursday, May 30, 7 p.m., $35-$50.

Big Gay Dance Party, Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse, Friday, May 31, 8 p.m., $15-$130.

Memphis Pride Festival and Parade, Robert Church Park and Beale Street, Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., $1-$100.

Grand Marshal Drag Brunch, Cossitt Library, 33 South Front, Sunday, June 2, 11 a.m., $30-$50.

Pride goeth before a crowd of some 60,000 people.

That’s about how many people combined attended Memphis Pride Fest in Robert Church Park and Pride Parade on Beale Street June 3rd.

“And that’s the conservative quote,” says Vanessa Rodley, president of Mid-South Pride, which hosts Memphis Pride Fest Weekend.

Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Fendi LaFemme at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Blaine Petrovia and Thomas Martin at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Myke Patricks at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Long lines of people waited to get into the park for the Memphis Pride Fest when I got Downtown about 2:30 p.m. But the line moved pretty quickly, as far as I could see. And I didn’t see anybody who wasn’t in good spirits on a warm Saturday afternoon.

Craig Brewer and Wendi Thomas at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Connor Harris and Shawn Hayden at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Karen Harris, Latonya Baldwin Griffin, and Candis Montgomery at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

“Every year we break records,” Rodley says. “Last year we were at about 50,000. This year we had close to 60,000. We’ve been going up 5,000 to 7,000 every year. “We did virtual for two years — ’20 and ’21. Last year was the first year we were back in person since 2019.

“We sold out or oversold on everything we did,” Rodley says, adding, “We had record-breaking attendance, record-breaking amount of booths, record amount of parade entertainers. It was the longest parade ever. We sold out our opening night event. We had 500-plus people at our brunch (Sunday). The attendance was through the roof on everything we did.”

Blake Williamson at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Hannah Humphries and Hunter DeLaney at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Austin Martin, Zina Mason, Vivienne Mason, Branon Mason, and Micah Ludvich at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Elijah Smith, Mike F, Sofia Macias at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

I told Rodley I gave up trying to get to certain areas at the festival because of the throngs of people. “Even as the organizer, I had a hard time getting through to see everything throughout the park,” Rodley says.

According to the organization, Memphis Pride Week “honors the diverse LGBTQ+ community and its allies, offering a unique experience that transcends traditional boundaries and fosters unity through a variety of engaging activities and inspiring performances.”

Johnny Acer, 20, who lives in Tipton County, attended his first Memphis Pride Fest. A singer-songwriter, Acer believes people “need to appreciate different perspectives. People need to open their hearts to empathize with others. And people need to open their souls to what brings people together, to what resolves conflicts and ends wars. And to what makes the world a better place day by day.”

Johnny Acer at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Zoe D. at Memphis Pride Fest (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Cameron Byrd, whose drag name is Nevae Love, got a good view of the crowd of people and tents from one of the Memphis Pride Fest stages. Cameron, one of the dancers for Alisabeth Von Presley, told the audience, “I’m from Iowa. And you know what? We don’t have this.”