Time for PRIDE!

NWPA Pride/R. Frank Media

Organizers from NWPA Pride are hoping to make this Pride on the Bay the best yet featuring live music, performances, vendors, and informational booths from local outreach organizations. The annual Pride parade will take place the following day with a promenade down State Street.

BEGINNING SATURDAY, JUN. 28

Some years, winter in Erie can be more than even those of us with the sunniest of dispositions can handle. Our reward for toughing it out is some of the most beautiful summers imaginable and we Erieites know how to celebrate. We have three months full of festivals, parades, and various outdoor parties. That includes a weekend of Pride hosted by Northwest Pennsylvania Pride Alliance. It's arguably the biggest, most colorful, friendliest, and most fun weekend of the summer.

The weekend will kick off with Pride on the Bay (formerly Erie PrideFest) at Liberty Park on June 28 from noon to 5 p.m. There will be live music, food, and shopping vendors as well as tables and tents set up by local organizations for outreach opportunities. NWPA Pride Alliance says it will be "a day of celebration, community, and LGBTQIA+ visibility."

The fun continues on June 29 for the NWPA Pride Parade that will begin at 11th and State streets at 1 p.m. In the spirit of true inclusion, anyone who wants to walk in the parade is welcome to join, simply line up at 11th and State beginning at noon. "This is more than just a celebration; it's an opportunity to advocate for equality, demand justice, and empower our community," says NWPA Pride Alliance. "Let's march together to show that we will not be silenced and that our pride is our strength."

Pride on the Bay, June 28 // Noon to 5 p.m. // Liberty Park, 828 W. Bayfront Pkwy.

Erie Pride Parade, June 29 / /Line up begins at noon, Parade begins at 1 p.m. //11th and State St. // More info: nwpapride.org