Pride Charlotte comes back to Uptown Charlotte Saturday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 26 for two full days of wall-to-wall entertainment and community engagement. The Festival, the largest of its kind across the Carolinas, is the culmination of more than a week-long slate of events highlighting the social, cultural, ethnic, artistic and political diversity of the Carolinas and Metro Charlotte area’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.
The Pride Charlotte Festival, a project of the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, will be held in Uptown on S. Tryon St., between 4th St. and Stonewall St., Saturday, Aug. 25, Noon-10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 26, Noon-6 p.m., one week prior to the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention.
Pride Charlotte’s 2012 theme, “Out of Many, One,” was chosen to honor one of the nation’s and North Carolina’s greatest principles – that united in diversity, we are each made stronger. The theme also reflects organizers’ excitement and pride in their hometown’s hosting of the Democratic National Convention.
The event will be headlined by Hip Hop recording artist Trina, who was nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the 2012 BET Awards. Other entertainers include Club/Dance singer Erika Jayne, singer/songwriter Justin Utley and Charlotte’s own DJ Peter Presta. Several contestants from Logo’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are also scheduled to perform, including Chad Michaels, DiDa Ritz and Jiggly Caliente.
Vendor spaces for businesses and non-profits are still available. Learn more and get vendor forms at pridecharlotte.com/vendors/. Organizers are also seeking dozens of volunteers to handle duties as diverse as set-up/clean-up, vendor support and beverage/information booth staffing. Volunteers for “Partners for Peace” are also needed to ensure that all festival goers have a fun and inclusive experience. For more information and to sign up, visit pridecharlotte.com/volunteers/.
Presenting Sponsors for this year’s Pride Charlotte are The Scorpio and Wells Fargo. Leadership Sponsors include: Flying Biscuit and Monkey Joe’s (Park Road Shopping Center), Marigny Dance Club, Time Warner Cable, QNotes and White Rabbit.
Details on entertainment stage schedules and other logistics will be announced in the coming days.
For more information on Pride Charlotte, its annual “Pride Week” from Aug. 17-27 or how you can get involved as a vendor or volunteer, visit pridecharlotte.com.
