The city of Green Bay raised the Progress Pride flag at city hall in recognition of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, June 7, 2022. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The first Green Bay Pride festival is happening this Saturday in the city’s downtown.
It’s something that’s been talked about for years as a way to mark Pride Month, recognized annually in June.
Event organizers said celebrations for the LGBTQ+ community in Green Bay have been inconsistent in recent years.
“Having a pride is the antidote to the shame that a lot of people feel on the day to day,” said Joey Prestley, a Green Bay alderperson who is on the organizing committee for the Green Bay Pride event.
“Some of us have traveled to Appleton, Wausau, other celebrations — and it’s a relatively small group,” said Martha Marvel, another member of the committee. “We’re expecting at least 1,000 people, if not a lot more.”
Green Bay Pride will be held from 1-8:30 p.m. June 20. Parts of Jefferson and Cherry streets will be shut down in front of City Hall to make room for 50 vendors and a large stage.
“Not only are you welcomed in this space with all these people here, who you know these people are going to accept you, but also, this city accepts queer people and wants people to be able to celebrate in the heart of downtown,” said Prestley.
Prestley will join Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and other elected officials set to speak at the event. There will also be a variety of food, drinks and entertainment.
“Everything from Comedy City to musical acts to the Oneida Smoke Dancers, trivia. Just a great, fun-filled afternoon,” said Marvel.
“We’ve seen an outpouring of support so far, just financially, as well as people just reaching out and saying, ‘How can I help?’” said Prestley.
The hope is this momentum will keep the event going for years to come. While the city of Green Bay is not hosting the event, organizers said an $11,000 tourism grant was awarded to help make it possible.
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