Bradenton | The Manatee Pride Festival will hold its fifth annual LGBTQ pride event on March 17 at the Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion.
“Attendance at Manatee Pride Festival is free and will again be at the Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion area,” the organization’s press release reads. “Manatee Pride is a fundraiser for Prism Youth Initiative, a private, non-profit community organization that has provided services and a safe and supportive center for LGBTQ Youth in Manatee County since 2010.”
“It’s incredible to be in our fifth year, we are just so happy to be able to do this,” Prism Youth Initiative board president and Manatee Pride committee chair Valerie Fisher says. “We’re so happy that we’re apparently well-received by not only the LGBTQ community, but our straight allies and just the community in general.”
Organizers worked closely with the city to plan this year’s event, which coincides with St. Patrick’s Day. “We were happy to be able to get this day,” Fisher says. “We’ve always done the same weekend in March, the third weekend… but the city had some qualms about us doing it on St. Patrick’s Day because they thought there would be a lot going on.”
“But we pled our case and they gave us the date,” she continues. “So we’re happy about that. We very much appreciate the city’s approval of and support for this event. This year, we’re going to have green shirts in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.”
Fisher notes that she expects this year’s event to be larger than last year’s outing, with both returning and new vendors. “People have been calling us to ask to be vendors,” she says, “so that’s always a good thing.”
The event is scheduled to begin with an interfaith service led by Rev. Glen G. Graczyk of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, something she calls a “nice touch” that the organization received “a lot of positive feedback from last year.”
Following the brief service, the event’s entertainment will begin with live music from Craig Singleton. Other featured entertainers include Divine AF, an ensemble from The Players Centre for Performing Arts and area drag favorites Beneva Fruitville, Johnny Sparks, Anita Liemont, Alexis De La Mar and Jocelyn Summers. DJ Lexx will provide additional music and Big Daddy Ro will be the master of ceremonies.
Fisher says vendors will surround the main stage, sponsored once again by Tropicana, allowing everyone to “have a view of the stage and performers. There’s a big grassy area where people dance. It’s a lot of fun.”
“The biggest thing that we’re excited about is Manatee Pride beer,” Fisher notes. “Darwin’s is brewing it again and we all went over there to start off the batch.” The beer, donated by Manatee County’s craft brewer Darwin Brewing Co., is described as a “light, crisp refreshing guava lager.”
“Not only are they giving us the beer that we’re selling, they’re brewing twice as much as they did last year,” Fisher continues. “They really are getting very involved; we love them. They’re wanting to be very supportive of the LGBTQ community in general and also of the youth. This year the after party is even going to be at Darwin’s Brewery and Tap Room.”
Aside from entertainment, vendors and the exclusive brew, event sponsor CAN Community Health will also offer free health screenings on site. “This is the second year they’ve sponsored us,” Fisher says. “We are very grateful to them.”
“We’re just really blessed to be able to do this and to be so well-received and embraced by the entire community,” Fisher reasserts. “I think that is the sense that people get. It’s a very happy and fun event. It’s joyful, actually. People just come and have a great time.”
Manatee Pride will be held on Saturday, March 17, from noon – 5:00 p.m. For more information, including sponsorship and vendor opportunities, visit ManateePride.com.
