Four-day Palm Springs Pride Festival starts Thursday
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - The four-day Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival will begin Thursday, with music, entertainment and other festivities planned throughout the weekend.
The 14th annual event will start with Dia de la Reina, a block party "celebrating the kings and queens of Palm Springs with food, music and entertainment,'' officials said.
The free event will take place from 5 to 10:30 p.m. at Arenas District Pride stage, 302 E. Arenas Road. The Sunset Music and Comedy Festival will start at 7 p.m. Thursday at Agua Caliente Casino, 401 E. Amado Road. Tickets for the event can be purchased at www.sunsetmusic.org.
Friday's schedule will include events such as:
-- Mark Hunter will receive the 481st star on Walk of the Stars at 11 a.m. at 302 E. Arenas Road;
-- The Arenas District block party featuring DJs and "the biggest LGBTQ+ street party" will be held from 3 to 10 p.m. between East Arenas Road and Indian Canyon Drive;
-- A picnic will be held from 5 to 9 p.m.; and
-- United Methodist Church will host Interfaith Pride Kabbalat Shabbat from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1555 E. Alejo Road.
On Saturday, the day will commence with a 5K run/walk from 7 to 10 a.m. at West Chino Drive and Belardo Road, hosted by the city's Front Runners and Walkers. Other activities, such as a pool party at the Surf Club and a youth zone, will be available.
The Palm Springs Pride Parade will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday beginning in the Uptown Design District at Tachevah and Palm Canyon Drive and traveling south through downtown, ending at the Pride Festival entrance at Amado.
You can watch the parade live on the CW and KESQ.com
According to organizers, this year's theme of ``Be Heard'' resonates to the LGBTQ+ community as a message of resilience and hope.
"When we gather in Palm Springs for Pride, we're doing something revolutionary: we're claiming space, amplifying our stories and refusing to hide,'' Mayor Ron deHarte said in a statement. "Every person who attends, every float in the parade, every performer on our stages -- they're all saying the same thing: we exist, we matter and we will be heard."
