June 27, 2024 | by Maddie Gittens
Pride Festival attendees, 2023.
It’s been over a decade since the last Pride parade filled Harrisburg streets with rainbow flags, balloons, music and colorful floats.
This year, it will return.
The Pride Festival of Central PA had already been dreaming up a way to bring back the popular event, which was last held in 2012, when Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams threw in her support. With the city behind them, organizers knew it was time to get the marching route ready.
“A lot of bigger cities have Pride parades, and everybody wanted to see that return to Harrisburg,” said Dr. Eric Selvey, president of the Pride Fest board of directors.
Williams too said that she’d observed Pride parades in other cities and was happy when the festival board approached her about bringing the parade back to Harrisburg for 2024.
“We have a St. Patty’s Day parade […] all types of parades, so why don’t we have this parade?” she said. “We want to send a message that the City of Harrisburg is a unified city.”
The parade will kick off the 32nd annual Pride Festival of Central PA on July 27, which takes place at Soldier’s Grove Park behind the state Capitol building. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and march around the Capitol complex before returning to the park at noon for the festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This year, Selvey is especially excited about the amount of community support for the festival, as more and more companies, organizations, churches and businesses are participating as vendors and sponsors.
Pride Festival attendees, 2023.
The festival has come a long way in getting the community to recognize the importance of the day. When the event started in the late 1980s, it was called “Open Air,” to leave any mention of the LGBTQ community out of the name. At the time, organizers thought people may be unwilling to attend something labeled as a Pride event in a generally more conservative region, Selvey explained.
However, this year, he expects around 7,000 people to join the celebration, coming from all over the region and even from surrounding states.
“It’s a day of just celebration, a day of being ourselves,” he said.
Feeling that Lasts
The Brownstone Lounge in Harrisburg has participated in the Pride Festival for years and, this year, owner Kimberly Stekovich is looking forward to interacting with the community.
She is working on creating a float to represent her business in the parade, and while she wants to keep the design a surprise, it will feature an Alice in Wonderland theme.
“It gives us a chance to come out and show our pride,” Stekovich said.
Selvey explained that the theme of the parade is “Lead with Love,” and encouraged anyone who wants to get involved to participate, whether they’re part of the LGBTQ community or an ally.
Following the parade, the festival will welcome visitors at the Capitol, which Selvey said is a notable location, as he believes the Central PA festival is the only Pride Fest to happen on state grounds.
In the park, two stages will offer live entertainment from musical groups and drag performers. Taking the spotlight this year will be pop artist and “American Idol” finalist David Archuleta, who will also hold a meet-and-greet with fans.
Vendors will be set up around the festival grounds, as well as food trucks and kids’ activities.
The family-friendly atmosphere of the event is something that’s important to board secretary Joelle Liller, who started volunteering with the festival a few years ago. Liller was happy to get involved with the event, having a child who is part of the LGBTQ community.
“We make it so families can come because that’s how kids learn,” Liller said. “That’s our goal: to have everybody feel welcomed.”
And while Selvey said that the LGBTQ community has seen progress in terms of acceptance and equality, there is still work to be done.
Two days before the festival, on July 25, the organization will host a Pride Candlelight Vigil at Italian Lake to remember those the community has lost.
To foster a safe environment for attendees on the day of the festival, there will be “silent witnesses,” volunteers who stand around the perimeter of the area to deter potential protesters and encourage safety.
Drag performer Betty Whitecastle interacts with an audience member.
However, Selvey is hopeful for a smooth day, with plenty of hugging, smiles and unity.
The feeling that Selvey gets from attending Pride each year is like no other, and he looks forward to sharing those feelings of pride, joy and inspiration with everyone who attends.
“It’s sad that it’s only one day, but that feeling you get from the one day lasts a long time,” Selvey said. “Pride is a celebration of oneself, our community and those who support our community.”
For more information about the Pride Festival of Central PA, visit www.centralpapride.org.Photos courtesy of Emmitt Dwight McKell.
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