GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Pride is ready to welcome the community to its annual pride festival once again this weekend.
With live music, shows, food, drinks and more, here's what you can expect at this year's Pride Festival.
GR Pride will take place on June 17, from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids.
The festival is free and open to all ages, but donations can be made on site or on GR Pride's website.
There will be a lot to do once you get downtown to the Pride Festival, including a sensory area located at Ottawa and Lyon, which anyone is welcome to go to if they are feeling overstimulated.
Organizers are striving to ensure people of every ability are able to walk and access the festival, which means the fence you saw in previous years has been removed. While this does mean you may see some more protesters, GR Pride has partnered with a private security team to ensure the safety of festival goers.
There will be three security booths set up throughout the festival, all of which are trained and care about the personal needs of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the Grand Rapids Police Department will not be present at the event.
GR Pride is reminding festival goers that this event is open to all LGBTQ+ people, and to be aware of the diverse community in attendance.
"While there are aspects of the events that are family-friendly and children are certainly welcome, the Festival does not cater exclusively to children and we do not censor the expression of attendees either. Please be aware that children will be exposed to the full diverse sartorial and aesthetic display of our wonderful community. Pride Festival began as a riot for the right to be our true selves, and remains an opportunity to celebrate ourselves in our full glory. The Grand Rapids Pride Center firmly asserts that LGBTQ+ outsiders, including kink communities, belong at Pride Festival, as they are who Pride originated with and for," GR Pride wrote on their website.
Therapists and medics will also be on site most of the day to address any concerns as well as help anyone who feels triggered, unsafe or experiencing a medical condition.
The festival is also encouraging mask use when you're not eating or drinking to reduce the risk of COVID exposure and transmission.
There will be 40 port-a-potties and four wheelchair accessible port-a-potties.
Organizers are also encouraging festival goers to drink plenty of water and remember their sunscreen on the day of the event.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Grand Rapids Pride Festival.
Happy Pride Grand Rapids!
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.