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Milwaukee, WI - It's time to RISE, Milwaukee!
PrideFest Milwaukee kicks off National LGBT Pride Month and Milwaukee's summer of festivals season this Thursday, June 6.
Gates open at 6 p.m. for the Pride Weekend Launch Party, sponsored by
ARCW, which celebrates the festival's sustainable growth to a four-day schedule. The Launch Party features headliner
Greyson Chance, award-winning local favorites
DJ Shawna and
Lex Allen, the
Milwaukee Drag Review, hosts
T Rex and Melee McQueen, and a stunning array of DJs, dancers, performance artists and pyrotechnics at the Dance Pavilion.
This year's festival theme, "RISE!," honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, where LGBTQ liberation and pride were born. The festival celebrates the pioneers who rose up against violence, discrimination and exclusion despite impossible odds. The
Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project
, an education program of Milwaukee Pride, will showcase Stonewall's impact at the History Building. The festival is also showcasing historical LGBTQ heroes with its Proud Pioneers series, currently running on Milwaukee Pride's social media.
"We recognize that today's pride movement was born from the resilience and resistance of yesterday's queer, trans and gender non-conforming people of color," said Michail Takach, vice president of communications. "
PrideFest 2019 needs to be both a celebration of our past and a call to action for our future. Our national landscape is darkening. This is a time for local LGBTQ heroes to rise."
PrideFest will host a free
QTPOC Pride Social
on Saturday, June 8, and memorial moments
are scheduled throughout the weekend. To eliminate economic barriers for LGBTQ youth, the festival is donating 1,000 tickets to Wisconsin Gay-Straight Alliances. PrideFest has also introduced a Proud Pioneers discount for seniors aged 65 or older: admission is just $5 before 5 p.m. daily.
PrideFest's Plus One Campaign supports the UWM LGBT Resource Center. By adding $1 (or any dollar amount) to ticket purchases, festival visitors can support the next generation of local LGBTQ leadership. The award-winning Resource Center, producers of the Annual UWM Drag Show, provides comprehensive support to UWM students that drive inclusion, empowerment and community activism.
In partnership with the
Milwaukee Pride Parade, PrideFest has also introduced new hours for 2019. For nearly 20 years, guests and volunteers had to choose between attending the Milwaukee Pride Parade or attending PrideFest. This year, the festival will open at 4 p.m. on Sunday to allow the entire community to come together as one in Walker's Point.
Despite unseasonable weather, PrideFest Milwaukee welcomed 45,400 visitors in 2018, a 21% increase vs. 2017, setting a new record as the largest LGBTQ pride event ever held in Wisconsin.
Additional information about PrideFest Opening Ceremonies, the 2nd Annual Ride with Pride, and Sunday's PrideFest Closing Party, will be released over the next few days.
PrideFest Milwaukee 2019 is held at Henry W. Maier Festival Park. Tickets, discount offers and entertainment schedules are available at pridefest.com.
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About Milwaukee Pride
The mission of Milwaukee Pride, Inc., is:
- to educate both the general public and local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people about LGBTQ culture, current events and community concerns;
- to provide a regional forum to celebrate the history, heritage and accomplishments of LGBTQ people;
- to create an environment for advocacy, networking, outreach, support services and leadership opportunities for LGBTQ people, their families and friends; and
- any other activities exclusively for charitable, educational, and research purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
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The mission of Milwaukee Pride, Inc., is:
- to educate both the general community and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ) communities about needs, issues and various aspects of the LGBTQ culture;
- to provide a forum to celebrate the history and accomplishments of LGBTq people;
- to create an environment for networking and outreach for services and community opportunities for LGBTQ people and their families and friends; and
- any other activities exclusively for charitable, educational, and research purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
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Get connected with Milwaukee Pride
info@milwaukeepride.org
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