On Saturday, August 26th, 2017, Gayborhood Jersey City & Human Pride Productions will host the 17th Annual Jersey City LGBT Pride Festival at Newark Pedestrian Plaza in Downtown Jersey City. One of the largest festivals in Northern New Jersey, LGBT Pride serves to highlight the significance of diversity in the community through a variety of fun, celebratory, and informative events.
Experiencing exponential growth in recent years, the festival has blossomed into a powerful, collaborative effort between event organizers and local businesses. As Eduardo Baez, Co-Producer for the LGBT Pride Festival, states, “All of what we do is to promote local businesses, while we promote pride at the same time. It’s been a great response from vendors and sponsors – there’s been a tremendous outpouring.” This year, notable contributors include CarePoint Health, Uber, and Dixon Leasing just to name a few.
Given the growth and strength that the festival has experienced, this year’s events will expand their reach outside of just Downtown Jersey City. While the main festival will be held in Newark Pedestrian Plaza, this year boasts 23 official pride events, spanning across 18 days in different neighborhoods like Greenville and Asbury Park. From a movie screening at the critically-acclaimed restaurant, Talde, to a bus ride party to the shore, as Baez remarks, “There’s something for everyone.”
The Pride Festival has made incredible strides in recent years; a great indicator of not only a fun event, but a powerful movement with an important cause. Just three years ago, 2,500 people attended the festival when it was held in front of City Hall in Downtown Jersey City. Two years ago, the festival showcased an exciting carnival theme and attendance skyrocketed to over 8,000 people. Last year, the festival hosted a number of public figures through a series of events and attendance grew to 10,000 people. This year is expected to be the largest turnout to date with even more events scheduled and a long list of involved supporters from local businesses to the community as a whole.
This year, the celebration centers on honoring what pride is truly about – marching for a cause. As Baez states, “The goal is to raise awareness not only in the general community, but in the gay community as well.” To honor this important message, Trans activist, Carmen Carrera, will receive the Eileen “Beanie” Gaughan award as diversity of all kinds denotes the foundational meaning of the Pride Festival. With diversity in mind, Jersey City proves once again to be the perfect location for the festival as the city scored a perfect 100 points on the Municipal Equality Index in 2016.
In addition, the area continues to grow as a great place to live, winning the 2016 Curbed Cup for “Best NYC Neighborhood” for the first time in the competition’s 13-year history. As Pride awareness and Jersey City continue to grow and flourish, the LGBT Pride Festival serves as an exciting event for all to come and celebrate diversity, togetherness, and community.
If you’re interested in how to get involved or for more information on this year’s LGBT Pride Festival, please visit: https://jerseycitypride.com/
