Louisville Announces Return of Pride Festival

Louisville announced that the annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival and Parade will be held Friday, October 8 and Saturday, October 9 this year. Last year’s celebration was canceled, and organizers hope that by October the instances of infection will have reduced enough to hold a safe festival. “Safety is top priority on the list when it comes to all involved who make Kentuckiana Pride possible. Without our staff, crew, and all of you, there is no Kentuckiana Pride Festival. We are optimistic and very excited to get back out there to celebrate Pride together, in a safe and vigilant manner,” The City of Louisville said in a press release. The festival will be held at Big Four Lawn at Louisville’s waterfront, where the 2018 and 2019 festivals were held due to the increasing number of those attending the festival. The festival is traditionally held during the third weekend of June, the date many Pride festivals are held around the world. The Kentuckian Pride Board said that the dates were chosen partly because of their close proximity to October 11, which marks National Coming Out Day.

The 2021 Kentuckiana Pride Festival + Parade will take place on Oct 8th + 9th at the Big Four Lawn /@wfpark (typically held in June each year). The health + safety of attendees, staff, vendors + entertainers has been our priority. Safety info will be released close to the event. pic.twitter.com/PBQK0cor38 — Kentuckiana Pride (@PrideInKY) February 24, 2021

Performers and vendors are still to be scheduled for the festivities. Many Pride festivals were cancelled last year due to coronavirus. However, several other Pride celebrations announced their return this year. This includes Manchester Pride which announced that they are going to hold their festival from August 27-30. Pride in London also announced their intentions to return this year. Kentuckiana Pride President Rodney Coffman hopes that this year’s Pride will provide a space for the community to come together. “We felt it was important, and that the community needed to have a Pride,” Coffman said. “We need something to bring us all together and celebrate life in general, no matter if you’re part of the LGBT community or an ally or whatever. Everyone is welcome.”