Twin Cities Pride organizers stress past, present and future for 50th anniversary
MINNEAPOLIS -- Twin Cities Pride is back and in full force, and Loring Park is likely to be packed with people celebrating this weekend.
The Pride festival was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. It was scaled back last year, but this year it's back as normal, and it celebrates 50 years of the LGBTQ+ community in the Twin Cities and beyond.
There are events that happen throughout June being that it is Pride month, but the biggest event in Minnesota is Twin Cities Pride weekend. It includes multiple events.
"We think it's going to be one of our biggest turnouts," Twin Cities Pride board chair Felix Foster said
First the Twin Cities Pride Festival will take place in Loring Park. Set-up has already started. The festival will have BIPOC and LGBTQ+ vendors, food, a beer garden, and music stages.
"We're taking a look back at the last 50 years, remembering where we came from with this festival and movement," Foster said. "Also looking at where we are now, especially the last few years throughout COVID, all the changes we had to make with that. And then looking forward to the future, how we can help out with the movement."
There is also a Rainbow Run 5K.
And the Twin Cities LGBTQ+ Pride March on Sunday -- yes, organizers are calling it a march, not a parade, to show that there is still work to be done.
"This idea that the parade is a great way to think of it from a celebratory standpoint, (but) it did start as a march for equality in the LGBTQ community," Foster said. "there are still so many members of the community that do not share that equality."
This year's Pride theme is "past, present, and future."
Organizers are definitely going big for the 50th year. Carly Rae Jepsen will headline Saturday's concert.