‘Bigger than before.’ What’s new at Tri-Cities Pride this year?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tri-Cities Pride moves to Memorial Park with up to 90 vendors.
- Pasco council narrowly approves beer garden waiver despite community concerns.
- Out and About reopens as Azúcar with Latino Pride event and evening drag show.
This year’s Tri-Cities Pride festival promises to be bigger than before.
Last year, a new board of directors of the Tri-Cities Pride nonprofit took over organizing Pride events and now it has outgrown downtown Pasco.
It will be back on Sunday, June 22, at Memorial Park at 350 N. 14th Ave., where it was held two years ago.
Organizers expect crowds of up to 2,000. There will be nine food trucks and close to 90 vendors, compared to about 50 last year.
There also will be drag performances and DJs playing music.
Beer garden
New this year is a beer garden that will serve beer and wine to adults 21 and older. Photo IDs are required to purchase alcohol, and drinks must stay inside a fenced area.
The Pasco City Council voted earlier this week on the special waiver to allow alcohol at the public event.
The council divided 4-3 to grant the waiver. Council members Blanche Barajas, Charles Grimm and Peter Harpster were opposed.
Barajas said she didn’t believe a beer garden was appropriate at a family-oriented event in a city park. Grimm and Harpster did not explain their objection.
Pride Month events happen throughout June and typically culminate on June 28, the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, a historic event for LGBTQ+ activism. Pride festivals celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, supporters and allies.
Pride is also a call for unity, visibility and equality for the people who identify as LGBTQ+.
Tri-Cities Pride President A’isha Martin said the annual event will have something for all ages, including a kids zone with inflatables.
“We chose Pasco to celebrate Pride because the city, its businesses and police have demonstrated a willingness to be inclusive and supportive in contrast to nearby communities that have historically been less welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community,” Martin said.
Latino Pride
Out and About, the only LGBTQ+ nightclub in Tri-Cities, is reopening on the weekend of Pride with a fresh Latino vibe — and a new name.
Azúcar at Out and About plans to open Saturday, June 21. It will host a Latino Pride event from 2-9 p.m at 327 W. Lewis St. that includes vendors and music outdoors.
After 9 p.m., doors open for a 9:30 p.m. Vida Amore Divas Show drag show. There is $15 cover and the event is for ages 21+.
Out and About closed last August after the previous owners missed paying property taxes and the club was at risk of losing its state liquor and city business license. Then a deal with a potential new owner fell through after some controversy about his plan for the nightclub.
The new owners, a gay Latino couple, announced on social media plans to keep Out and About a queer-friendly space. They shared they are committed to maintaining the venue’s dedication to the LGBTQ+ community.
