Denver PrideFest

The 2019 Denver PrideFest will commemorate the 1969 riots at the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, regarded by many as the beginning of the contemporary LGBTQ civil rights movement, with an exciting line-up of entertainers on all three stages June 15-16 at Civic Center Park. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar on Christopher Street, in neighboring streets and in nearby Christopher Park. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. One year after the Stonewall riots, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day march was organized on June 28, 1970 to promote LGBTQ civil rights. The celebration was so popular that similar events began popping up as gay pride events in cities across the country. LGBTQ pride events have now become an annual June tradition for many cities across the globe and have led to increased visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ people everywhere. The first gay pride celebration took place in Denver in June 1975. This community gathering brought increased energy to the Denver LGBTQ community and one year later, activists moved to form what would become The Center on Colfax. Denver PrideFest is a free two-day festival that features live entertainment on three stages. The annual event is produced by The Center on Colfax, one of the state’s oldest LGBTQ organizations. In addition to entertainment, the festival features more than 200 exhibitors, food and drink. The Center on Colfax is a non-profit organization that serves more than 52,000 people annually at its facility in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with programs that serve LGBTQ youth, older adults, and the transgender community, as well as training and legal programs. The PRIDE 5K kicks off the weekend on Saturday June 15 with a run/walk from the State Capitol to Cheesman Park and back. The 5K includes prizes for individual runners and teams. The centerpiece of the weekend is the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade on Sunday morning June 16. Stepping off at 9:30 am and attracting 100,000+ spectators, the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade marches from Cheesman Park to the festival at Civic Center Park via Colfax Avenue. Complete entertainment and festival information is available at our website: DenverPride.org. [Organizer's description]