This year's Twin Cities Pride should be big.
"Everything this year is going to be bigger than it has been," said Felix Foster, the nonprofit's board chair. "And some things are the biggest we've ever done."
Take the June 25 Saturday night concert, headlined this year by Carly Rae Jepsen — "the biggest name we've ever gotten," Foster said, at the biggest venue they've ever programmed, the Armory.
And after years of street construction and COVID constraints, the June 26 Sunday march will return to Hennepin Avenue. "We're so excited to be back," Foster said.
Since it's also a big anniversary — the 50th year of Pride in the Twin Cities — the theme is Past, Present and Future. So there are three Grand Marshals: Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, who marched in 1972, represents the past; Nic Zapko, an activist and ASL interpreter for Gov. Tim Walz, reflects the present, and Hildie Edwards, an 11-year-old trans youth activist, will embody the future.
Note that the Twin Cities LGBTQ+ Pride March on June 26 is billed as a march, not a parade — reflecting the work that remains.
"It's still a walk for justice and protest and equality," said Foster, but Pride leaders "felt that until everyone in the GLBTQ community has been equally and fairly represented, it's not going to be called a parade."
Police will be present at this year's Pride, a decision that's grown more controversial since the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. OutFront Minnesota announced last month that it would not participate in Twin Cities Pride events as it "directly conflicts with our efforts to practice anti-oppression and anti-racism."
The police presence was just one factor behind that decision, said Kat Rohn, OutFront's new executive director. "I think there's just been a history of difficult, negative interactions." While OutFront is stepping away this year, "that's certainly not a permanent decision," Rohn said, noting that the organization's leaders have reached out to Twin Cities Pride about having "an open conversation about values and shared space."
Last year, the Pride board called on the city to suspend its requirement that large, permitted events contract with Minneapolis police for security. Those efforts continue, Foster said.
"It's very taxing, not just from the emotional and safety concerns" but also financially, he said. "We pay the city for the police and the barricades … and so many other things that in other cities are donated."
Pride is more than a single organization or a single weekend, Rohn pointed out.
This month, OutFront's staff is attending events both in the Twin Cities and across the state, including Pride celebrations in Grand Marais, Mankato and Northfield, where Rohn grew up. Northfield held its first Pride in the Park event in 2021.
"Growing up myself in Northfield, I saw some openly LGBTQ folks," Rohn said. "But there weren't those visible community activities. ... It's really a point of pride for me to see a lot of towns stepping up like this."
Some highlights of this year's Pride week:
Pride Family Fun Day: This free event at Como Park, held in conjunction with Father's Day, celebrates LGBTQ+ families with food and games. (11 a.m. June 19, Como Park East Pavilion, 1151 Como Av., St. Paul, tcpride.org/event/pride-family-fun-day-2022)
Pride Beer Dabbler: The 10th anniversary of this foamy event features food trucks, dance parties and (of course) beer, seltzer and cider. (6 p.m. June 24, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, 725 Vineland Pl., $50, beerdabbler.com/festivals)
Twin Cities Pride Festival: Vendors and food trucks, stages and tables will pack Loring Park in Minneapolis for two days of celebration, including the 20th anniversary of the Power to the People stage. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 25-26, free, tcpride.org/festival)
Elder Pride Brunch: Rainbow Health is throwing a brunch for the LGBTQ+ and 50-plus crowd, with East Side Neighborhood Services providing assisted transportation. (10:30 a.m. June 25, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., free, eventbrite.com/e/50-lgbtq-pride-brunch-tickets-337403672467)
Carly Rae Jepsen: The "Call Me Maybe" hitmaker will headline the first Pride concert held outside of Loring Park. (8 p.m. June 25, Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $40-plus, armorymn.com)
Pride March Honoring Ashley Rukes: The 50th anniversary march starts at 7th Street and proceeds down Hennepin Avenue to Spruce Place and into Loring Park. (11 a.m.-2 p.m. June 26, free, tcpride.org/march)
