Rhode Island Pride Halloween Jubilee

45th Anniversary of the very first Pride March and 20th Anniversary of the first Illuminated Night Pride Parade among a few of these moments

For decades the month of October has been recognized here in the United States as LGBTQIA+ History Month. In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a high school teacher from Missouri wanted to use the entire month to teach about our community’s history and to celebrate individuals who have made an impact in our world. Today not only the United States, but many other countries including Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have established a month-long dedication to our important history.

October 11th likewise has special significance. In 1988, in commemoration of the March on Washington (for LGBTQ+ rights) the year before, activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary established National Coming Out Day to raise awareness and visibility to our community in the areas of civil rights just as the tidal wave called the AIDS pandemic took aim at our community.

2021 is significant for us in Rhode Island. Forty-five years ago, the first Pride march took place in Providence in June of 1976. This was not an easy task, as they were denied the permits to create their events and had to sue the City and the 1976 Bicentennial Committee to be able to march. Under the stewardship of community members, Stephen Fortunato and the ACLU, we sued and won. Today we are the proud beneficiaries of their bravery and dedication to advancing the cause of equality, equity, and justice. This fight did not end there, as the fight for civil rights continued for many years with our first victory in 1995 and then in 2021 –  20-years ago – securing civil rights protections to include gender identity and expression. To cap all of this off, this year is also the 20th Anniversary of the Illuminated Night Pride Parade.

Due to the forecast of inclement weather this Saturday, Rhode Island Pride is moving the celebration indoors! Yes, the show must go on and we will be holding the celebration at the WaterFire Arts Center located on 475 Valley St, Providence, RI 02908

So here are the updates!

COMMUNITY RESOURCE/VENDOR FAIR

Updated hours starting at 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. 

Note to vendors: Setup time is from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. All setup must be completed by 12:30 pm. Groups are responsible for bringing their own tables and chairs for their space.

PRIDE JUBILEE AND CLOSING CELEBRATION

At 5:00 pm we will be featuring RI Pride’s Video Retrospectives as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Illuminated Night Parade as part of RI PrideFest. 

Join us at 6:00 pm for the closing celebration featuring performances by Jackie Collins, Sherenté Mishitashin Harris, Moon, Taylor Neptune, DJ Zoila Rosa amongst others. Special presentations will feature commemoration of key milestones and accomplishments of Rhode Island’s LGBTQIA+ community. 

Though we will not be dancing in the streets as planned, we are still encouraging everyone to dress up in costumes and festive attire as we will be having a Halloween Costume Runway contest! While we had wished to be celebrating along part of the route of the first Pride march in 1976, when life serves you lemons, make a Lemon Chiffon Cake and show your pride, every time, every place and everywhere!

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday as we celebrate the RI Pride Halloween Jubilee at the WaterFire Arts Center!

All events are free and open to the public. RI Pride and the WaterFire Arts Center will adhere to all safety guidelines and COVID protocols recommended by the CDC and the RI Department of Health. We encourage folks to do the same and recommend the use of face mask coverings at this celebration in keeping our community safe.