Pride goeth before a crowd of some 60,000 people.
That’s about how many people combined attended Memphis Pride Fest in Robert Church Park and Pride Parade on Beale Street June 3rd.
“And that’s the conservative quote,” says Vanessa Rodley, president of Mid-South Pride, which hosts Memphis Pride Fest Weekend.
Long lines of people waited to get into the park for the Memphis Pride Fest when I got Downtown about 2:30 p.m. But the line moved pretty quickly, as far as I could see. And I didn’t see anybody who wasn’t in good spirits on a warm Saturday afternoon.
“Every year we break records,” Rodley says. “Last year we were at about 50,000. This year we had close to 60,000. We’ve been going up 5,000 to 7,000 every year. “We did virtual for two years — ’20 and ’21. Last year was the first year we were back in person since 2019.
“We sold out or oversold on everything we did,” Rodley says, adding, “We had record-breaking attendance, record-breaking amount of booths, record amount of parade entertainers. It was the longest parade ever. We sold out our opening night event. We had 500-plus people at our brunch (Sunday). The attendance was through the roof on everything we did.”
I told Rodley I gave up trying to get to certain areas at the festival because of the throngs of people. “Even as the organizer, I had a hard time getting through to see everything throughout the park,” Rodley says.
According to the organization, Memphis Pride Week “honors the diverse LGBTQ+ community and its allies, offering a unique experience that transcends traditional boundaries and fosters unity through a variety of engaging activities and inspiring performances.”
Johnny Acer, 20, who lives in Tipton County, attended his first Memphis Pride Fest. A singer-songwriter, Acer believes people “need to appreciate different perspectives. People need to open their hearts to empathize with others. And people need to open their souls to what brings people together, to what resolves conflicts and ends wars. And to what makes the world a better place day by day.”
Cameron Byrd, whose drag name is Nevae Love, got a good view of the crowd of people and tents from one of the Memphis Pride Fest stages. Cameron, one of the dancers for Alisabeth Von Presley, told the audience, “I’m from Iowa. And you know what? We don’t have this.”
