Youngstown Pride fest will begin with parade

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The 11th annual Pride Youngstown parade and festival will take place from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday on North Phelps Street, downtown.

The event will begin with a parade that will march eastbound on Federal Street from Vindicator Square to Central Square and then back.

The festival will begin immediately afterward and will include live music, a drag show, vendor merchandise booths, social-service organization information booths, health screenings and a children’s area. Admission will be by donation. Costume and dress must be appropriate.

First organized in 2009, the Youngstown Pride Festival is credited by organizers as helping to create a sense of support and self-confidence in the community.

“I used to say that Youngstown only came out of the closet after midnight and on the weekends,” said Carlos Rivera, founder and event chair. He estimates that the Pride Festival draws between 800 and 1,000 attendees each year. “It’s still a struggle, but we want to show it is OK (to be yourself),” he said. “It’s every individual’s decision to come out at their own pace, but with so many teen suicides in the community, I know we still have not done enough.”

Pride Youngstown parade and festival

Noon: Parade

12:30 p.m.: Nikita Jones (tentative)

1 p.m.: Opals (featuring Crash)

1:30 p.m.: Rude Mechanicals

2 p.m.: James McClellan

2:30 p.m.: Milennial Theater Company

3 p.m.: Eric Thompson

3:30 p.m.: Doll Houze

4 p.m.: Karaoke contest

4:30 p.m.: Labra Brothers

5:30 p.m.: Rachel Joy

6 p.m.: Labra Brothers

7 p.m.: Pride Youngstown Drag extravaganza, featuring Pineapple, Fatty Patty, Matt Cockrin, Lucas Hollywood and Jeremiah Rosa