The 2012 annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival, themed “Our Footprints are everywhere,” is set to take place this weekend and will feature tons of events for LGBT supporters and family event goers. The Pride Parade will step off at 8 pm Friday, June 15th and will end at the Belvedere in downtown Louisville kick starting the entire weekend of festivities. The weekend long event will feature numerous booths, drag shows and musical acts from Louisville and around the nation.
Friday night music events include Cazwell, an American rapper and avant-garde club artist, whose focus is centered on gay and urban themed music. Cazwell has released two studio albums Get Into It and Watch My Mouth, but is more known for his YouTube videos, including Ice Cream Truck, which received over 1-million views in its first week. Early in his career he also was a part of the True Colors Tour which included Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Deborah Harry and the Indigo Girls. Cazwell will take the stage Friday night along with free admission at 9:30 pm.
Saturday, June 16th Pride festivities include all day performances from local and national acts, including The Blue Umbrellas, The Ladybirds, Eric Himan and The Cliks. Eric Himan is excited to be back performing at the Kentuckiana Pride festival this year after a long stint touring. The energetic and always fantastic musical Himan says “I find that Pride in Louisville gets one of the most welcoming audiences I’ve had the privilege to play for.” He says the background is always a perfect setting for live music supporting the LGBT arts. Himan's performance is set for Saturday, with an admission of 5-dollars, at 5:30 pm and will be followed by The Cliks, a Canadian rock band that have been compared to the Pretenders, The Murmurs, The White Stripes and David Bowie. After losing several band members and regrouping early on in the indie rock band’s career, The Cliks, who are fronted by transgendered guitarist and lead singer Lucas Silveira, are back to touring full speed ahead and will take to the stage Saturday evening at 6:30 pm.
Guidelines include:
- No ID, no alcohol. No exceptions.
- Persons, bags, coolers and other containers are subject to search.
- No weapons, drugs, outside alcohol or open containers permitted
- Pets are welcome at the parade, but not at the festival.
- Saturday: If you lose your wristband, you’ll need to purchase admission again.
The Kentuckiana Pride Festival Parade themed “Our Footprints are Everywhere” will kick off Friday night at 8:00 pm along Market Street and will be followed by the Friday Night Fest along the Belvedere, 485 West Main Street. The Kentuckiana Pride Festival will be held all day at the Belvedere Saturday, June 16th with events starting at noon. All proceeds benefit the Kentuckiana Pride Foundation. A full lineup of festival events can be found at www.kypride.com. Children are welcome to attend.
photo courtesy David Miller
