The Trans March attracted around 200 people last year and the Dyke March has grown to over 500 participants. to Cooke, both have experienced growth in recent years. Sign-making event precedes both at the Piedmont Park Dock. and then the Dyke March begins at 6 p.m., with a Queer Your Gender Dance Party to follow. It has moved to a weekend activity to give participants a better chance to attend. Retrospective of past exhibits will be displayed.Ĭouples wanting to exchange vows can do so at the Atlanta Pride Commitment Ceremony from 11 a.m. “This is the seventh year we have featured a display with panels about our LGBTQ history, our struggle for equal rights, the challenges faced by LGBTQ people across the globe,” says Cooke. This year sees two puppet shows from the Kaiser Permanente Educational Foundation, arts and crafts, kids yoga with Nirvana Yoga, and the Anti-Defamation League’s Read4Respect program.Īn element of Pride festival that can fly under the radar is the Cultural Exhibit, displayed on the bridge over Lake Clara Meer. on Saturday morning at the Athletic Fields as part of the bigger Community Health Expo.Įxpanded kids programming is on tap Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. “Over 200 Little Monsters showed up (last year) and enjoyed putting their paws up and downward dog,” says Cooke. Returning from 2012 is the popular YoGaga Lady Gaga-inspired yoga, presented by Tough Love Yoga and lululemon athletica. It’s also a relaxing one for local attendees. “(It’s) a fantastic way to begin the weekend because it gives our visitors from other places a chance to see one of the shining jewels in our city’s entertainment crown,” he says. According to Cooke, the party, now in its fifth year, is a perfect start. In terms of returning activities, the official kick-off party for Pride Weekend is Friday night at the Georgia Aquarium. Pride Ambassadors will be on hand over the weekend to welcome guests and offer refreshments in the air conditioned facilities. A new feature is the Celebrity Cruises VIP Seating Area overlooking the Coca-Cola Stage, featuring a beer garden, bistro tables, a private cash bar, private restroom facilities and great views. “In addition to the VIP/Sponsor Party on Friday night, we also have our Kaiser Permanente VIP Hospitality Center in the Piedmont Park Visitors Center, which is located near the 12th Street Gate,” says Cooke. One of the major differences this season is the addition of the VIP experience. It takes place at the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. LGBT musicians on a national level are uniting for the concert “Color Our World: Life, Spirit, Magic!,” presented by MailChimp and the Atlanta Freedom Bands and featuring a few hundred LGBT musicians from across the country.
at the flagpole and veterans’ marker near the 12th Street Gate. all weekend.Ī military veteran taps and wreath-placing ceremony by AVER and Out Serve, also in its first year, will take place on Saturday afternoon from 5 – 5:30 p.m. The JustUsATL Youth Space goes from 10 a.m.
“Over the past few weeks, we have fielded many phone calls from parents of middle school and high school students who have come out and who are bringing their newly out children to the festival,” says Cooke. Saturday at the large tent near the Playground and Greystone Pool House.Ītlanta Pride has also partnered with JustUsATL and offered them the use of the park’s Bandstand to host their Youth Power Space. The Campus Pride College Fair, sponsored by PNC, is from 2 – 5 p.m. “Campus Pride hosts these fairs all across the US and we are thrilled to help them bring admissions reps from LGBTQ welcoming college campuses so they can meet with families from our community. “We have partnered with Campus Pride to host the first LGBTQ-friendly college fair in Atlanta,” says Cooke. “Many of our market vendors ran out of products or collateral last year on the first day of the festival.” He would love a 2013 repeat. “We hope to have comparable crowd sizes as last year,” says Cooke (the Pride website estimates annual attendance at 250,000).