Those who are diligently mapping out their summer time entertainment options will definitely want to include the 25th Annual Pride Festival on June 15th. The festival, termed “Rocking the Calder”, will be held at Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids and is aimed at showing support and understanding of diversity in West Michigan. This annual event, now in its 25th year, is dually hosted by the Lesbian and Gay Community Network and West Michigan Pride.
Festival Details
The festival runs from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 pm and the entrance fee is $1.00 per person. Children are admitted at no cost. Those wearing an official 2014 Pride t-shirt get in for free! T-shirts cost $15 each and are available for purchase on the Network website. Purchasers will be contacted when t-shirts are ready to be picked up at The Network.
Activities and Events
The festival has many other activities to entertain both adults and children.
- Wide variety of food vendors
- Beer and non-alcoholic beverages
- Live entertainment throughout the day
Visitors can also stroll through the vendor tents to browse a variety of arts and crafts, and informational displays on issues and organizations relevant to the LGBT community.
Pride Parade
One of the highlights of the festival is the second annual Pride Parade, which will be held from 12:00pm to about 1:00pm. One addition to this year’s festivities is combining all of the single walkers into a group. Thus, individuals who would like to participate in the parade festivities will have plenty of company. The 2014 parade grand marshals are April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse along with their attorney Dana Nessle. These women filed a 2012 lawsuit to adopt each other’s children that eventually led to a U.S. District Judge overturning Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriages.
Volunteers and Sponsors
The festival still has plenty of ways to get involved. They are still seeking volunteers for a variety of opportunities. Some of the areas where assistance is needed include morning set up, parade volunteers, trash, front entrance monitoring, runners, vender check in, evening tear down, beer tent, information booth and event clean up. In addition, organizers are still accepting sponsors, vendors and advertising partners.