OutFest is a neighborhood party full of rainbow flags, old and new friends and traditions, and each year, new traditions are born.
The 26th annual OutFest will be held from noon-6 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Gayborhood, and organizers plan to expand the fun, literally and figuratively, even more this year.
The block party will introduce pumpkin patch “Pumpkin Way.”
Franny Price, executive director of Philly Pride Presents, got the idea for the pumpkin patch after having trouble finding a local seller.
“Sometimes we had to travel to Chester or Bucks County to find one,” Price said.
For a small fee, participants can pick a pumpkin and enter the pumpkin-carving contest. All proceeds will be divided between Philly Pride Presents and the William Way LGBT Community Center.
The center will also hold pumpkins until the day after OutFest for people who don’t want to carry them at the event.
OutFest will also introduce the Derby Inflatable Horse Race with a mechanical bull.
“Friends can race each other to see who gets to the end. It should be fun,” Price said.
OutFest will expand to Spruce Street, which was previously used for parking. A new leather bazaar, on the 200 block of Quince Street, also will debut.
“Every year, when you keep getting bigger and bigger, you have to keep changing things,” Price said. “We keep having to expand.”
Price considers OutFest to be a huge networking day. More than 100 vendors have registered for the event, most of which are community organizations.
OutFest will open up with a work-out session from the 12th Street Gym, which Price says always gets the crowd excited and ready for the day.
Children’s entertainment will include a magic show and a family zone. OutFest also will feature a pet zone, where local adoption agencies will bring dogs and cats ready for new homes, and pets can compete in a fashion show.
Guests can also take in the traditional high-heel race and penis-shaped bagel-eating contest, a staple at OutFest since 1995.
“It started out by having one table of eight contestants and now we have two tables with 10 contestants, and we have to do it about five times,” Price said. “It is always well-participated.”
Michael Byrne will sing his famous “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Gayborhood.”
“We always love it,” Price said. “Byrne has been doing it for 17 years. It’s fun when you have these traditions, and they are unique to Philly.”
Price said she always anticipates a larger crowd for OutFest than the year before.
“It’s always weather-permitting,” she said. “Last year, it was gorgeous and we had nearly 40,000 people come.”
One group that seems to be a traditional guest at OutFest is antigay Repent America. So far, Price has not heard whether the protesters will attend this year’s event.
“They come and people get more and more used to them,” Price said. “There is always one of them that has to be up in your face. Most of us pay them no mind. They’re not going to go away.”
Price said OutFest, which celebrates the Oct. 11 National Coming Out Day, is a day for people to be open about their sexuality.
“The protesters are not going to convert anyone,” she said. “National Coming Out Day is our unofficial and only national holiday that has a designated date. That means a lot.”
For more information, visit www.phillypride.org.