Pridefest will continue this year thanks to 'angel donor'
Richmond’s largest LGBTQ+ festival, Pridefest, will take place again this year on September 12 at Midtown Green, despite what organizers described as a significant loss of corporate sponsorships last year.
James Millner, Virginia Pride’s director, said those funding losses were offset with help from an angel donor. Millner declined to comment on the donation amount, but said it helped bridge the financial gap.
However, he added that the organization is still being “conservative in their planning” in order to keep Pridefest as lively as possible going forward.
Hazel Hoffman
Attendees shouldn’t expect Pridefest to be drastically different from previous years, he said. They can still expect a plethora of “wonderful things,” including roughly 200 vendors and a variety of entertainment.
Millner stressed the festival’s importance, especially in the current political atmosphere. He noted that nearly every online post made about Pride events, including Pridefest, garners “hateful comments.”
“In a world where we are constantly barraged with folks that are telling us that we do not belong in the society of this country, or this region, Pridefest is a way to say, ‘Yes, we do,’” he explained. “We do belong; we’re part of the fabric.”
Julianne Tripp Hillian
To him, the festival’s success cannot be accurately measured with metrics about attendance numbers or ticket sales. Instead, it lies in witnessing beautiful moments like “seeing a family bring their transgender child for the first time, or seeing same-sex couples exist unapologetically.”
Millner said the festival has been a success if people leave the event with a sense of belonging.
“What gives me optimism is that in the face of (everything), we’ve moved forward,” he said.
Contact Intern Haidyn Brockelman at hbrockelman@richmonder.org.
