Back at the Beach: Aurora Pride Returns to the Reservoir

For those looking to go to a beachside Pride this year, you’re in luck. After a quiet year due to COVID, Aurora Pride is back at the Aurora Reservoir. 

The event is happening Aug. 7, 12-8 p.m. 

And, for folks who are looking for a more personalized experience, online activities and Pride in a Box goodie boxes are also on the menu this summer. 

“We wanted to make sure to adapt our event to the current needs of our community, whatever those may be,” says Aurora Pride Executive Director Zander Oklar. “We love the reservoir, and we’re really excited about having a beachfront Pride in a landlocked state.”

At the event, look forward to food, drinks, swimming, and even HIV testing and COVID vaccines for those in need. And of course, there will also be an impressive roster of entertainment. We chatted with Aurora Pride’s hosts and performers to learn what Pride means to them.

“To me, Pride means to be appreciative. To reflect and thank those who came before me. I would not be able to be blessed with the life that I have today without the sacrifice of my brothers and sisters before me. I would not be able to be married, plan my family, express my art through drag, be unapologetically myself, expand my mind, not be scared to fight for what I believe in, or speak up during injustice. Those who paved the way before us were out there protesting, fighting, and marching for a better future for us.

So, I am always tremendously grateful, but it also tells me and inspires me that we are far from being done, and I must carry the torch. I, too, must fight, march, and speak up so my future children, my future community, and future world can have a better future. They, too, can be proud of who they are and live in a society without fear one day. None of this can be accomplished without us continuing the fight. Pride is here to remind us of where we came from, where we are at, and where we are going. Most of all, Pride is here to remind us to love one another as human beings.”

– Minor Misdemeanor

“Pride, to me, is about more than the rainbows, beautiful colors, and festivities. It’s about the lives we touch, the communities we reach, and the people from all walks of life that we bring together through our beautiful art form called ‘drag.’ Pride is about giving love, spreading love, and showing love, not just in the month of June, but all year long.”

– Samora Kash

“Pride is all about being comfortable in your own skin and being surrounded by people who love and support you. Pride is also about basking in the diversity of a strong community, remembering how far we have come, and boldly sashaying into the future.”

– Shirley Delta Blow

*featured image by Veronica L. Holyfield