PRIDE
Street Festival Brings the Crowd for Brooklyn Pride
LGBTQ community celebrates Pride month in Park Slope
BY MATT TRACY
There was no twilight
march, but a sizable
crowd still showed up
for a lively street festival
in Park Slope on June 12 to celebrate
Brooklyn Pride.
The afternoon festival, located
on Fifth Avenue from Third to Fifth
Street, featured food and street vendors,
a stage for entertainment, and
an upbeat crowd — including people
of all ages, dogs dressed in rainbow
bandanas, and even unicorns!
Led by MC Lailah Lancing, a
lineup of performers took to the
stage and entertained folks who
were walking around with their
Pride gear and food from local
stands. Cheerleaders from Cheer
New York dazzled with backfl ips
and a dance routine, while several
bands such as Control the
Sound — which is a group of
teenagers — played songs in front
of the crowd. Folks also huddled
around drag queen Marilyn Monhoe
as she interacted with folks
in attendance.
Locals said they were anticipating
Pride events ever since the
coronavirus pandemic decimated
much of last year’s plans. Azeki M-J
Ali, 20, said he found out about the
festival through his friends in the
house ballroom scene.
“I wanted to make it out here,”
Ali said. “I live in Brooklyn, I am a
queer person, and I’ve never been
to Brooklyn Pride.”
Ali said it was his fi rst time attending
Pride since WorldPride
in 2019, which was his fi rst-ever
Pride event.
“I went to the Latex Ball and I
bounced around a little bit, but
I am still kind of new to all the
Pride festivities,” he said. “I’m
planning to go to the main Pride
this year.”
Families also made their way out
to the street festival. One mother,
Danielle, said she and her husband
were attending the event as allies
alongside their child, Natalie D.
“We live in the neighborhood,”
said Danielle, who did not want to
share the family’s last name. “This
is the highlight of the year for us.
We’ve very happy to celebrate.”
Like any Pride festival, tents
perched along the street represented
different organizations — from
health organizations to fashion
groups, city agencies, elected offi
cials, and political clubs such as
Lambda Independent Democrats
of Brooklyn (LID). Jared Arader,
LID’s president, was handing out
materials to people passing by his
group’s booth.
“We’re getting a lot of foot traffi
c from local people,” said Arader,
who explained that the support for
local candidates who live in that
area — including Brooklyn borough
president hopeful Jo Anne
Simon — was a sign that people
from the local area were showing
up. “We’re really excited about
that.”
MATT TRACY
A decent crowd fl ocked to Brooklyn Pride’s mini street festival in Park Slope.
MATT TRACY
A band called Control the Sound performs on stage.
MATT TRACY
Locals check out the different booths along the street for Brooklyn Pride.
MATT TRACY
Azeki M-J Ali, 20, at Brooklyn Pride for the fi rst time.
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