My first time at Pridefest last year I was amazed at the size of the crowd, the wide mix of people, and by all the festivities going on. This year I think it got even bigger! The event & wedding planning company, Memory Lane Events, asked me to document the weekend for them & JustQMe , an online & printed guide for the LGBT community in Colorado, which I knew would be an exciting and challenging task. On Saturday I went by for a couple of hours to survey the scene as sort of a warm-up for the next day. It was family day so the crowd was a lot more timid, but I managed to catch a fun fashion show put on by the students of Emily Griffith, with designers such as Bailey Rose & Erica Nicole.
Sunday was by far the biggest day of Pridefest. I started the morning bright and early in Cheeseman Park where I documented JustQMe’s first time riding in the parade. It was so much fun to get to walk the whole parade route taking pictures. While it certainly was quite tame compared to the gay festivals and parades I’ve seen in New Orleans, it was still a pretty wild & sexy event. The parade ended at Civic Center Park where people of all colors, ages, styles, and sexualities crowded to enjoy the entertainment and show their support for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gender) community. You saw the lesbian moms with their cute kids adorned with rainbow attire, the teenagers dancing freely at the techno stage, and the beautiful transvestites that would make any man or woman stop for a look. Dogs were also dressed up in bright colors, and I even saw a Lady Gaga impersonator (or who knows maybe it was her)! And it was great to see En Vogue take the stage and belt out their classics that left the crowd singing and reminiscing of the early 90’s. It makes me so happy to see how many people come out to support Pridefest. I’m proud of Denver’s supportive residents that respect love over hate, and peace over fear. There is still a long way to come till its not even an issue anymore, but seeing how much has changed in just the past decade is truly amazing, and relieving.
Check out the slideshow below or go to my Pridefest Picture Gallery to see lots more and order prints.
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