In-person Pride is back!
Detroit’s famous Motor City Pride festival will return this weekend, Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19, in Hart Plaza. The parade will take place on Sunday, September 19 at noon, with other festival events taking place over the course of the weekend.
This year’s event will mark the 49th anniversary of Motor City Pride after the 49th event was postponed last year due to the pandemic. It’s Michigan’s largest LGBT event and traces its roots back to June of 1972 when the first march against homophobic laws and for recognition for LGBT rights was held in downtown Detroit. The march became an annual tradition that grew to include a rally and party, and eventually moved to Lansing, Michigan. Left without a pride march in their area, organizers the Detroit metro area created the Gay and Lesbian Pride Festival sponsored by the Detroit Area gay/Lesbian Council (DAGLC). The event’s name was eventually changed to PrideFest and relocated a handful of times before settling in Detroit and being renamed to Motor City Pride.
Admission for this year’s festival is $5 or free for youth 12 and under. The festival is open on Saturday from 1pm to 8pm, with gates closing at 7pm, and Sunday from 12:30pm to 7pm, with gates closing at 6pm.
Check out the Motor City Pride website for more information.