Although it’s one of the newer additions to the Philly area, the Latino Pride Festival is quickly becoming a staple of the local Pride Month celebration.
The third-annual event will be held from 2-9 p.m. June 5 at Fifth and Jefferson streets. The street festival will feature vendors, food and drink, live music and entertainment — the usual lineup for local Pride celebrations — but with a Latin flair.
“There are lots of different Prides in the area, like Black Pride, and they’re all a little bit different,” said co-organizer Brenda Torres. “With Latino Pride, we want to give people what they usually get at Pride, but with that Latin flavor that’s there in the music, in the food and in the performances.”
This year, Latin singers, dancers performing renditions of traditional Puerto Rican folk dance Bomba y Plena and an array of local drag queen celebs will populate the stage.
While the festival is largely focused on entertainment, organizers have also aimed to heighten awareness among the LGBT community to different health concerns. Last year, the event promoted cancer education, and next month’s festival will be organized around autism awareness.
“We want people to have fun, but it’s also about providing education,” Torres said. “We always try to find something health-related because it’s important for people to think about these issues affecting our community, and all communities, while also having fun.”
Torres said she and co-organizer and partner Iris Melendez, who co-own North Philadelphia LGBT nightclub Rainbow Eye, have met several customers who are parents of autistic children and even have some members of their own families who’ve been affected by the condition.
“These are magnificent kids and, in my opinion, they’re really not getting the support they need out there. They’re going through struggles in school and at home, and even just in the gay community there are a lot of parents out there who have autistic kids, and who are struggling, and we want to raise awareness about what’s happening and what needs to be done.”
At the event, Torres and Melendez will present a check to a local agency that works to support autism causes, with funds generated in part through a recent date auction at Rainbow Eye.
While fundraising has been difficult for this year’s event, which the organizers say is probably a result of the current economy, support from the LGBT community, local LGBT agencies and an increasing number of mainstream organizations has been steadily building over the past three years. Next month’s festival is expected to draw more than 4,000 people, double the attendance at the inaugural event.
Even though the festival is centered on and organized by the Latino community, LGBTs and allies of all backgrounds are welcome at the party.
“It’s all about uniting the forces,” Melendez said. “We want to bring together everyone from the LGBT family. We all tend to have our own events, but we want to bring everybody together into one place so they can celebrate that the Latino community is here in Philadelphia. And that we’re here with open arms.”
For more information or to get involved with Latino Pride, contact Torres at (267) 235-6045 or Melendez at (267) 332-9282.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].