CHARLOTTE, NC – As Charlotte Pride marks its 25th anniversary this year, the organization is excited to announce a new, larger venue for its signature annual Charlotte Pride Festival, which has been held in Uptown on the third weekend of August for more than a decade. The festival will be held Saturday, Aug. 16-17, in First Ward Park, with surrounding streets (Brevard, 7th, 8th and 9th) hosting festival vendors and more. The new location will offer 33% more space than prior festivals, organizers say, and this enlarged footprint will allow it to include more local, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, artists and artisans. “In past years, we’ve had a wonderful Neighborhood Market area, but First Ward Park will allow us to expand this from one tent with about 15 vendors under it to hopefully welcoming many more small businesses and organizations, each with a larger presence,” says Meredith Thompson, Charlotte Pride Managing Director. Activations will include a Main Stage with exciting performances both days; a drag pageant; a Community Stage showcasing local LGBTQ and ally entertainers; an expanded Youth and Family Zone on the Great Lawn of First Ward Park; an indoor arts activation called Flourish, slated to be hosted in the Dubois Center; a health fair; a reimagined VIP Experience Pavillion; and much more. Charlotte Pride was founded in 2000 and produced its first festival in 2001 in Marshall Park. The festival moved to Uptown Charlotte in 2011, and the Charlotte Pride Parade was added in 2013. “We’re getting back to our roots,” says Riley Murray, Charlotte Pride Board President. “Symbolically, the park setting reminds us how and why we started doing this work. With rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment, Pride is more important than ever. This larger, accessible venue will allow us to welcome as many people as possible so that we can all be visible, vibrant, and celebrated.” The two-day festival and parade on Sunday (along the familiar route on Tryon Street, starting at 9th Street) are free to attend. The festival will be easily accessible by public transportation, with Lynx Light Rail stops adjacent to the venue at 7th Street Station and 9th Street. Plans for the large festival’s move were initially made in 2019 for the 2020 festival, but were paused because of the pandemic. According to the organization, the post-pandemic popularity and growth of the festival, along with the arrival of its 25th anniversary, makes this the right time to make the move. ”In my role as Community Engagement Partner Lead for Truliant Federal Credit Union [a sponsor of the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade], I have the privilege of being out in the community at a variety of diverse events, which I truly enjoy,” said Toya Patterson, “whether it’s connecting with people at community events or facilitating our financial education workshops. And one of the highlights of my work has been participating in the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade for the past five years. I’ve always appreciated how well-organized this event is. This year, with it being held in a park, it will give attendees more of an opportunity to connect, celebrate, and enjoy the festival.” Charlotte Pride’s mission is to create programs and activities to enrich, empower, strengthen, and make visible the unique lives and experiences of LGBTQ people in Charlotte and the Carolinas. The organization offers year-round programming, with the annual Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade weekend being its flagship event. Click here to learn more and access all applications for festival vendor, parade participation and more.