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Louisville Pride Festival Returns in September, Bigger & Better Than Ever!

Louisville Pride Festival Returns in September, Bigger & Better Than Ever!

The Louisville Pride Festival returns in September, and it is bigger than ever before! Instead of just one day, the Louisville Pride Festival now includes nine events throughout the month! Ticket prices and details are still being set for some events and will be available shortly on www.louprideky.org.

The Festivities begin September 2nd with the Louisville Festival Pride Kick Off Game with Racing Louisville.

Show your Pride and cheer on Racing Louisville as they take on the Portland Thorns! The Fan Zone will open at 6:00 PM, stadium gates open at 6:30 PM, and the game kicks off at 7:30 PM. Tickets start just $19 with a portion of sales benefiting the Louisville Pride Foundation and the Louisville Youth Group. Special deals are available for anyone with a Louisville Pride Festival VIP Pass. Buy tickets to the Racing Louisville Pride Game here.

2023 will be the first year for The Louisville Pride Festival Queer Comedy Show at The Caravan on Wednesday, September 6th.

The Queer Comedy Show is hosted by veteran comedian Keith McGill and features three amazing comics who are all members of the LGBTQ community: Vidalia Unwin, June Dempsey, and Reed Sedgwick. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show begin at 7:30 PM. The event is for ages 18 and over and a valid ID is required. Tickets are just $15, with free admission for anyone with a Louisville Pride Festival VIP Pass. Buy tickets to the Queer Comedy Show here.

Thursday, September 7th is the Louisville Pride Festival Pride and Pups Night with the Louisville Bats.

Cheer on the Bats against the St. Paul Saints. Gates open at 5:00 PM and the game begins at 6:35 PM. Tickets begin at $10 and anyone with a Louisville Pride Festival VIP Pass will get free admission and a Louisville Bats swag bag. Dog tickets for Pride and Pups are $3, with proceeds benefiting the Kentucky Humane Society. Visit Batsbaseball.com for more information. Buy tickets to Pride and Pups here.

The 2023 Louisville Pride Festival on Bardstown Road, presented by Ford/UAW and Derby City Prep Clinic will be Saturday, September 9th.

The annual free street fair and concert remains the centerpiece of the expanding Louisville Pride Festival. This year will again feature 150 vendors, the Derby City Gaming VIP Lounge, the Zappos Family Area, the Wellness Zone, and performances on two stages. This year is hosted by Syimone, Leah Halston, Dusty Ray Bottoms, and May O’Nays and will feature performance from VOICES of Kentuckiana, John Austin Clark, Robbie Bartlett, members of the Louisville Orchestra, Shitfire, Siena Liggins, Bungalow Betty, and a special reunion performance with Carol Kraemer and Laura Shine, founding members of Louisville’s iconic lesbian band Yer Girlfriend. And with drag performers under threat across the country, Festival Mainstage finale will be The Over the Rainbow Drag Extravaganza.

“W

hen cynical politicians tried to outlaw drag this year, we promised to deliver the biggest and best damn drag show the Commonwealth of Kentucky has ever seen, right in the middle of Bardstown Road. And that’s exactly what we intend to do,” — Mike Slaton, LPF Executive Director Save

The Festival is free to attend and VIP Passes are available for purchase. Registration is still open for vendors and sponsors for the Festival, but spaces are expected to sell out.

The Festival will also feature the inaugural presentation of the Hurricane Summers Icon Award, newly created by the Louisville Pride Foundation Board of Directors.

The Louisville Pride Festival Cinema Showcase comes to Baxter Avenue Theaters on Saturday, September 16th.

The Showcase will build on the legacy of the Louisville LGBT Film Festival. Film titles, screening times, and ticket prices will be released soon.

The third Louisville Pride Center Lou Name Clinic will be Saturday, September 23rd.

The event is co-sponsored by Dinsmore & Shohl, the Lambda Law Caucus, and UofL Brandeis School of Law. Volunteers from these groups will be on-hand offering free legal assistance to Kentucky residents with preparing and filing name change petitions. Assistance with filing fees for participants is available thanks to support from donors. Registration is highly encouraged, but not required. The event will be held from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Louisville Pride Center at 1244 S 3rd Street. More information on sign-ups and the event itself is coming in the near future.

Another new feature this year are four LGBTQ+ Mini-Conferences.

These are half-day events including workshops and networking opportunities to provide educational opportunities for LGBTQ people and allies, support leaders doing important work in the community, build and strengthen connections within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community, The conferences will be for Civic Leaders and Elected Officials (September 20), Mental Health Providers (September 22),  and LGBTQ Employee Affinity Groups and Non-Profits (September 28). All mini-conference will be held at the Louisville Pride center, and registration will open soon. The mini-conferences are beign produced with support from Mandala House and Queer Kentucky.

The 2023 Festival theme is There’s No Place Like Home.

“Now more than ever, we want to remind everyone that Louisville is home to many wonderful LGBTQ+ people. We are your friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers, and customers. We are proud to call Louisville home, we are proud to call Kentucky home, and no one can take that away from us. LGBTQ people contribute to this city and state, and we are part of what makes it a place to be proud to live,” said Louisville Pride Foundation executive director Mike Slaton.

Louisville Pride Festival VIP Passes

are on sale now at www.louprideky.org. Passes are $90 before August 20, and include free or discounted admission to festival evets, a Festival Survival Kit, and access to the Derby City VIP Lounge at the Louisville Pride Festival, including complimentary food and drink. The Festival is all ages, but the VIP Lounge is limited to guests 21 and over.

The Louisville Pride Festival is produced by the Louisville Pride Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and advance equity and representation for all people. The Foundation manages the Louisville Pride Center, which serves the LGBTQ+ community at 1244. South 3rd Street.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsors

Ford Motor Company, United Auto Workers 862, Derby City Prep Clinic, GE Appliances, and Norton Healthcare. The beverage sponsor for the 21+ VIP bar is Tito’s Vodka.

We appreciate additional support from:

U of L Health, U of L School of Nursing, Zappos.com, Kroger, Derby City Gaming, Aetna Better Health of KY, PLAY Louisville, Republic Bank, the Asia Institute Crane House, the Louisville Youth Group, ADP, WellCare of Kentucky, Passport by Molina Healthcare, Ginger Wallace and Janet Holliday, Louisville City and Racing Louisville FC, Bourke Accounting, LLC, Dinsmore, Jefferson Community and Technical College, McKesson, Big Bar, Louisville Tourism, Caesars Southern Indiana, 502 Hemp, and Western Governors University.

Click for VIP Passes

Louisville Pride Festival: There’s No Place Like Home

When:

Saturday September 9, 2023 from 11am to 10pm

Where:

Bardstown Rd & Grinstead Dr in the Highlands

Admission:

Free; $10 Suggested Donation. This event is for all ages.

Featuring:

Two Stages
150 Vendors
Music
Drag Shows
Local Food & Drinks
Family Zone
Wellness Zone
DJ Sets
Community Stage
VIP Lounge

…and more!

Hosted by

Syimone
Leah Halston
Dusty Ray Bottoms
May O’Nays

Featuring Performances Bu:

Voices of Kentuckiana
Robbie Bartlett
Bungalow Betty
John Austin Clark
Members of the Louisville Orchestra
Showcase of Louisville Theaters
Shitfire
Siena Liggins
Yer Girlfriend
The Over the Rainbow Extravaganza

This event benefits the Louisville Pride Center, serving our LGBTQ+ community.

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Louisville Pride News Round Up

The Louisville Pride Foundation has been in the news a lot lately, between the return of the Louisville Pride Festival, and the opening of the Louisville Pride Center!

 

Grand Opening of the Louisville Pride Center (October 11, 2022):

https://www.wave3.com/2022/10/12/pride-center-opens-louisville-national-coming-out-day/

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/louisville-pride-center-ribbon-cutting-pride-foundation-lgbtq-community-center/417-44b8bb24-94ec-4c9e-b0ef-c4a40c0e35de

https://www.wdrb.com/news/officials-cut-the-ribbon-on-the-first-lgbtq-community-center-louisville-has-seen-in-30/article_e5e65946-49d3-11ed-8460-0b17343ab69d.html

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pride-center-opens-in-louisville-on-national-coming-out-day/ar-AA12R7Cq

https://www.wlky.com/article/louisville-pride-lgbtq-center-metro/41591180

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/2022/10/11/louisville-pride-center-officially-opens-on-national-coming-out-day/69510484007/

https://wfpl.org/louisville-pride-center-opens-on-national-coming-out-day/

 

2022 Louisville Pride Festival (September 17, 2022):

https://www.courier-journal.com/picture-gallery/news/2022/09/18/louisville-pride-festival-returns-after-two-year-absence/10418019002/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/welcome-home-louisville-celebrates-return-of-pride-festival-on-bardstown-road/ar-AA11X8cp

https://www.wlky.com/article/louisville-pride-fest-draws-big-crowds/41264088

https://www.wdrb.com/news/louisville-celebrates-lgbtq-community-in-return-of-pride-festival/article_53da5aa8-36d6-11ed-a683-e322ec53b4bf.html

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/louisville-pride-festival-bardstown-road/417-1a7da217-936e-44d1-b9aa-db5fb4cc6945

https://www.whas11.com/gallery/news/local/photos-louisville-pride-festival-2022/417-4d0ba587-78b1-4988-b0aa-869ab54c5390

https://www.whas11.com/video/news/local/louisville-pride-festival-hosts-sixth-celebration/417-ee283a8d-ca6c-47a7-bd27-4f8e23d790be

https://news.yahoo.com/louisville-pride-festival-returning-three-221907805.html

 

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Louisville Pride Center Opens October 11

THE BIG DAY IS HERE!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11

Press Conference and Ribbon Cutting for the Louisville Pride Center at 3:30 PM

Open House from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

World Affairs Council Panel at 6:00 PM

Join the World Affairs Council for a Panel Discussion with LGBTQ Activists from Turkey

In honor of the Louisville Pride Foundation’s grand opening of the LGBTQ+ Community Center, please join the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana for a panel discussion featuring State Department IVLP partners from Turkey.

Panelists are participants in a U.S. State Department IVLP Exchange focused on LGBTI Activism and building civil society cooperation. Their visit is intended to help them explore strategies for managing and building sustainable organizations specifically tailored to LGBTI advocacy in an atmosphere of social and political opposition. All participants are professionals working in Turkish LGBTI+ organizations.

This event is free, but space is limited and registration is required for the panel discussion.

REGISTER NOW FOR PANEL

What is the Louisville Pride Center?

The Louisville Pride Center is a safe and affirming gathering place for LGBTQ+ people and our friends and families.

The Louisville Pride Center is a backbone organization that supports organizations and people doing work that benefits the LGBTQ+ community.

The Louisville Pride Center is a resource hub and point of entry for services for LGBTQ+ people.

The Center will be open Mondays through Thursday from 12 PM to 7 PM. Center partners can book events and programs inside or outside of those hours.

The Center is located on the second and third floors of 1244 South 3rd Street in Old Louisville. Parking is available on street or behind the building. The Center has an elevator and is wheelchair accessible.

We welcome volunteers, donors, and partners! Stop in, call 502-498-4298 or email [email protected] to learn more!

DONATE NOW

 

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Join us for the 2022 Halloween Belle Cruise, sponsored by Caperton Realty

You are invited to join the Louisville Pride Foundation for a spooky good time on our Third Halloween Cruise on the Belle of Louisville, sponsored by Caperton Realty!

BUY TICKETS NOW

Costume contest with a $500 cash prize.

Hosted by Stevie Dicks, with music by DJ SYIMONE.

Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.

General Admission tickets are $35 in advance, and $45 at the door.

VIP Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door.

VIP Tickets include open bar, and free admission to PLAY Dance Bar after the cruise.

Free shuttle service to PLAY provided by Marvelous Transportation.

Boarding begins at 7:30 PM and the Belle cruises from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The party continues dockside until 11:00 PM.

In case of inclement weather, the Belle will stay docked, but the party will go on!

BUY TICKETS NOW

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Statement on Nowhere Bar

On September 22, 2022, we publicly cut ties with Nowhere Bar after one of their owners (Dave Mattingly) was arrested on felony charges for sexual assault. We have received questions and criticism for that decision, and this statement is an attempt to provide more context around the decision. One line of criticism is that we acted too soon, and should wait for the case to go to trial. The other line of criticism is that we are hypocrites for waiting so long to cut ties. 

 

Why did you have a relationship with Nowhere Bar/Dave Mattingly in the first place?

Dave Mattingly was a founding Board Member of the Louisville Pride Foundation, and Nowhere Bar was a sponsor of the original Louisville Pride Festival. The Festival was organized with the help and support of the three bars on Bardstown Road that cater to the LGBTQ+ community. The relationship is as old as our organization. Dave Mattingly has not been a Board Member for several years, but Nowhere Bar has been a sponsor in all six years that the Festival has happened.

 

Why didn’t you sever ties when Christopher McKinney was killed there?

In January of 2020, a gay man, Christopher McKinney, died at Nowhere Bar after an altercation with a bouncer. The event was tragic and shocking. It was also accompanied by a widespread response in the community that many people felt unsafe at Nowhere Bar. 

Our Board discussed the issue and how we should respond  at great length on several occasions after it happened. We discussed it formally at our meetings and informally in conversations with current and former Board members. We hoped to try to find a path that was unifying and proactive. We discussed working on an initiative to promote safety in all of the bars that serve our community.  To this end, we endorsed “Christopher’s Law” in the 2021 Kentucky General Assembly, a bill aimed at making bars safer by requiring security cameras, as well as background checks and training for bouncers.

In the immediate aftermath of Christopher’s death, we decided to wait until the investigation was completed before we said or did anything. The Commonwealth Attorney decided not to file charges in April, 2020. By then, COVID-19 had shut down everything, including Nowhere Bar. There was speculation that it might never re-open. We missed another opportunity to speak out.

And while we discussed what it would mean to cut ties with an establishment that is literally in the middle of the Festival, money was never a part of the equation. We have not accepted any donations or contributions from Nowhere Bar or Dave Mattingly since 2019.

As weeks turned into months, we failed to speak out. In retrospect, our hope for finding a unifying solution was naive and our inaction was unworthy of the community’s trust in us.

 

Moving forward

Our Board knew we had been unprepared for the situation at Nowhere Bar and none of us were happy with how we handled it. We began a conversation about accountability. What do we do when one of our partners or sponsors does something wrong? How do we decide what constitutes a private conversation and what calls for a public severance? How much weight do we give to rumors of bad activity? 

In 2021, our Board revised our mission statement and vision statement and began crafting a set of core values that would guide our accountability. We decided that if we could point to a violation of our mission, vision, or core values, we would address it with the partner and encourage them to fix it. If they failed to do so, we would end the relationship.

This conversation about values and accountability has happened in the shadow of Christopher McKinney’s death at Nowhere Bar, and our collective acknowledgement that we did not handle the situation well.

 

Yesterday’s decision

With that history behind us, there was no doubt that we had to take immediate action when we learned that Dave Mattingly had been arrested. We regret that we did not take action sooner. Our only explanation is that our inexperience as an organization in dealing with an issue like this meant we dropped the ball as the dramatic events of 2020 overtook us. 

 

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VIP Passes On Sale for 2022 Louisville Pride Festival

Enjoy the Louisville Pride Festival in style in the Derby City Gaming VIP Lounge!

VIP Passes are $75 and include a commemorative pass, a Festival Survival Kit, and access to the Derby City Gaming VIP Lounge, which includes including complimentary catering, a private bar, and a premiere view of the stage. Pass holders also get four free drink tickets!

CLICK HERE TO BUY A VIP PASS

The Sixth Louisville Pride Festival will be held on Bardstown Road on September 17th. The free community event will be 11 am to 11 pm on Bardstown Road from Grinstead Drive to Longest Ave.
The Festival is presented by Ford and UAW and features two stages, over 100 vendors, the Norton Healthcare Wellness Zone, a Family Zone, and the Derby City Gaming VIP Lounge. Additional support comes from GE Appliances, Kroger, U of L School of Nursing, Republic Bank, US Bank Rounsavall Title Company, Tito’s Vodka, Yum Brands, Mix 106.9, Dinsmore and Stohl, the Asia Institute Crane House, Noodles and Company, Mandala House, and Aware Recovery.
The main stage lineup will focus on promoting Louisville artists, and features Kiana & the Sun Kings, Sheryl Rouse, B Dayton, Pepper Mashay, and DJ Sam Gee. Two drag shows are planned on the main stage, featuring Rising Stars and Local Legends. The Community Stage features more drag queens and several local theater companies. “Our Board felt strongly that we wanted to promote and support local artists as much as possible this year after the stress of the last two years,” said Slaton.
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“Welcome Home” is the Theme of the 2022 Louisville Pride Festival on September 17

The Louisville Pride Foundation has a message for the community: “Welcome Home.” That’s the theme for this year’s Louisville Pride Festival, and also a celebration of a new permanent home for the community. The Foundation is pleased to announce the return of the beloved Louisville Pride Festival and the opening of a new resource for the LGBTQ community, the Louisville Pride Center.

“Being LGBTQ means being isolated at some point in your life,” said Executive Director Mike Slaton. “Our message to everyone is that you have a home with the Louisville Pride community. After two years of cancellations for COVID, the Festival is back. And we are now expanding that work year round with the Center.”

The Sixth Louisville Pride Festival will be held on Bardstown Road on September 17th. The free community event will be 11 am to 11 pm on Bardstown Road from Grinstead Drive to Longest Ave.

The Festival is presented by Ford and UAW and features two stages, over 100 vendors, the Norton Healthcare Wellness Zone, a Family Zone, and the Derby City Gaming VIP Lounge. Additional support comes from GE Appliances, Kroger, U of L School of Nursing, Republic Bank, US Bank Rounsavall Title Company, Tito’s Vodka, Yum Brands, Mix 106.9, Dinsmore and Stohl, the Asia Institute Crane House, Noodles and Company, Mandala House, and Aware Recovery.

The main stage lineup will focus on promoting Louisville artists, and features Kiana & the Sun Kings, Sheryl Rouse, B Dayton, Pepper Mashay, and DJ Sam Gee. Two drag shows are planned on the main stage, featuring Rising Stars and Local Legends. The Community Stage features more drag queens and several local theater companies. “Our Board felt strongly that we wanted to promote and support local artists as much as possible this year after the stress of the last two years,” said Slaton.

The Louisville Pride Center Grand Opening is set for October 11, also known as National Coming Out Day. The Louisville Pride Center is located at 1244 South 3rd Street and will be open 12:00 pm- 7:00 pm Monday through Thursday. Additional hours are planned as the Center grows. The Center will be a safe and affirming gathering place for LGBTQ people and their friends and family, a backbone organization to support LGBTQ small businesses and nonprofits, and a point of entry for services. Center programs and services will include game nights, book club, movie nights, legal clinics, clothing swaps, mental health services, 12-step groups, support groups, co-working and more. The Louisville Pride Center is made possible by generous support from the Trager Family Foundation and proceeds from the Louisville Pride Festival.

The Louisville Pride Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization formed in 2014. Its mission is to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and advance equity and representation for all people.

Click here to download the LPF 2022 Poster