ATLANTA PRIDE BRINGS ITS POSITIVE MESSAGE TO MIDTOWN

Atlanta’s annual LGBTQ celebrations return for their 47th year to Midtown October 13 through 15.

Originally started in 1970 after the Stonewall Riot, the event seeks to advance unity, visibility and wellness in the community through educational programming and activities, as well as cultural, social and political work. Over 300,000 people are expected to attend this year’s events. Pre-Pride events will include speaker panels and a night out at Sips n Strokes. The official festivities kick off October 13 with a party at the Georgia Aquarium, complete with DJs and bars.

Other official events include trans and lesbian marches, as well as the main Pride Parade, which starts at the Civic Center and runs down Peachtree Street before ending in Piedmont Park. Deaf interpreter David Cowan and trans activist Holiday Simmons are just a few of the grand marshals who will kick off the festivities, chosen for their outstanding work in advancing LGBTQ equality in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.

“The Atlanta Pride Committee has a mandate to capture and complement the wide range of diverse activists among us,” says Jamie Ferguson, executive director of the committee, about the grand marshals. The AIDS Memorial Quilt, a project started in 1987 to memorialize those who have died from the disease, will also be on display. Attendees can enjoy live entertainment at a variety of stages (an official lineup will be announced this month), before grabbing a drink in the beer garden. Pride 2017 will also have a family fun zone appropriate for kids. And if that’s not enough revelry, Midtown bars and restaurants also hold Pride-focused events.

atlantapride.org

STORY: Caroline Eubanks