SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego Pride Month will kick off its Pride Parade and Festival Saturday, featuring artists across six stages, educational and art exhibits, local businesses, cultural presentations, food, HIV testing and more.
The San Diego Pride Parade will begin at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., at 10 a.m. The route will proceed west along University Avenue before turning south at Sixth Avenue and into Balboa Park along Balboa Drive toward the Pride Festival, culminating at Quince Street. Musical act Hemisphere will perform on a float in the parade.
"There is art in our advocacy and advocacy in our art," said Fernando Z. López, executive director of San Diego Pride. "Our annual celebrations bring together hundreds of thousands of people who converge around LGBTQ arts and culture with clear social justice messages."
This year's theme is "Thrive!" intended to highlight the resilience and determination of the LGBTQ+ community to overcome challenges and celebrate their strength.
"As LGBTQ people whose lives, events, art, and culture have increasingly been under legislative and violent threat, it is now more vital than ever to remember that creating civic and artistic spaces where our LGBTQ community can safely and authentically be ourselves is a social justice issue," Lopez said.
Following the parade, the San Diego Pride Festival will begin a two- day run in Balboa Park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Dozens of music artists will perform, including Princess Nokia, Saucy Santana, Pu**y Riot, Moore Kismet and David Archuleta.
"This year especially when threats to our rights are coming from every direction, it's important that we come together to celebrate and reaffirm our pride and our identities," said Princess Nokia, the Saturday headliner. "I cannot wait to see you all, and show the forces that would silence us that we stand united and that together we Thrive!"
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Previous festival headliners include Ashnikko, Baby Tate, Daya, Snow Tha Product, Melissa Etheridge, Kesha, Kim Petras and TLC. The public event regularly attracts more than 250,000 people.
"It's time for us to rise above the challenges we are facing and embrace the strength and resilience that define our diverse community," said Sunday headliner Saucy Santana. ``Let's stay loud, together in unity and love, and show the world that not only do we survive, we Thrive!"
All proceeds from the festival and parade go to supporting San Diego Pride's LGBTQ-centered philanthropy and year-round education and advocacy programs. As of 2022, San Diego Pride has donated over $3 million to local, national, and international LGBTQ-serving organizations.
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