story by Phillis Lewis & Robin Beaudoin | photos courtesy of Mid-South Pride
‘Mid-South Pride Presents: The 14th Annual Memphis Pride Festival’ for a weekend of fun, acceptance, and love September 28th through October 1st. On September 29th, Friends For Life will be throwing the biggest dance party at the New Daisy Theater (tickets are only $25, and include admission and open bar), so dig out your dancing shoes. On Saturday, don the rainbow as the festival floods Robert Church Park and Beale Street with attendees from 10am to 5pm. Parade lineup commences at noon for the 1pm parade down Beale Street, and sign up is still open for anyone interested in helping to carry the famous pride flag, or enter a group to join in the parade. The Mid-South Pride Festival historically has about 10,000 attendees and a myriad of booths and vendors. The weekend comes to a close in the Cooper Young District for a brunch at Celtic Crossing on October 1st. Save these dates on your calendar, and don’t be afraid to pitch in on the pre-party committees.
With multiple teaser events leading up to the festival, volunteer opportunities abound! Interested volunteers may sign up on the Mid-South Pride website (midsouthpride.org), and may opt to work on Logistics, Visual Media, Interfaith/Culture, Business Logistics, and more. Visitors are welcome to join the Mid-South Pride team at a Monthly Open Board Meeting September 5th at OutMemphis at 7:00 pm. September 11th, the board will hold at Meet & Greet for a cocktail or two at the Zebra Lounge from 5:30 – 8:30pm. The following weekend Spectrum will be hosting the Official Cooper Young Festival After Party with Mid-South Pride on September 16th, doors open at 9pm. For any additional details for volunteering opportunities contact Jennifer Murry-Rodley, jennifer.murry@midsouth.org.
Phillis Lewis, board member for Mid-South Pride, wants everyone to come out and join the celebration for Pride weekend, noting that the Mid-South festival is not only for the LGBTQ community, but to help educate others.
“We have a festival to show unity. We have it to spread love. We have it to educate not only those outside of our community but also those within it. We are different but we are all human. The festival is an opportunity for everyone to come together in one place and celebrate being who they are without fear.
We come together to remember those who came before us and fought for us for our rights to be able to walk down the street and hold our partner’s hand or say, ‘I do’ in front of our loved ones. We hope to see all your smiling faces: young, old, and in between because you are a part of what is to come so let’s all work together to build a better future.”
