Published On: Fri, Jun 11th, 2021

Upcoming Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Festival

Wilton Drive will be closed to traffic from 4 a.m. on Saturday the 19th until 4 a.m. the following Sunday for the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival. The event will take place from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. in honor of pride month and the parade will begin at 7 p.m. 

Tickets for adults and children 12 years and older will cost $5. According to the event’s FAQ page, the festival will be a family-friendly event. 

The event’s theme is “Out of the Darkness, Into the Light,” symbolic of the country’s post-pandemic return to normalcy, and individuals are encouraged to bring illumination tools such as glow sticks to celebrate. 

There will be 16 bars at the festival and six stages dedicated to entertainment provided by the vendors. Hunters Nightclub will attend and host singers Crystal Waters and Cece Peniston. 

“We’re excited to support the Black community with the inclusion of a celebration of Juneteenth,” said Peter Jackson, the president of WMEG Community Marketing and Events, the non-profit organization assembling the parade and festival. “Our main stage is actually our Black Pride Excellence Stage this year, to help bring them center stage and be more inclusive through the event.”

The Black Pride Excellence Stage will host DJs, guest speakers, a vogue competition, and more. They are also hosting a Stonewall Pride Juneteenth Flash Mob; anyone can register to participate and learn the choreography.

The Grand Marshalls for the parade were announced on June 9, the position will be held by Dr. Requel Lopes, the executive director of the World AIDS Museum, and Steve MacLaughlin, a four-time Emmy award-winning NBC6 meteorologist. 

“This year’s Nominating Committee was unanimous in its vote for Dr. Requel Lopes and  Steve MacLaughlin — two outstanding South Floridians whose individual work, passion and influence benefit South Florida’s LGBTQ+ community well and who are truly role models,” said a spokesman for WMEG in a press release.

Emma Mahon, 21, a Florida Atlantic University student, is looking forward to the event and said, “I think Pride is so important to the LGBT community because it’s a way for us to celebrate who we are and express ourselves without the need to hide it.”

Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the festival and though masks are not required, WMEG is encouraging them.

“We’re looking forward to a successful event,” said Jackson.

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