love and joy at chicago pride
BY ANNABEL BANKSAt this year's Chicago Pride Fest, hosted by the Northalsted Business Alliance, everything was in surplus. Vendors selling everything from jewelry to food, incredible drag queens, dj sets, and rousing performers. Across the three stages you could find gay men's choral groups, DJ’s mixing their sets, drag queens in stunning outfits, and pop culture singers. Food vendors brought out their best, with flavorful tacos, sweet lemonade, pizza, and so much more. There were even tents set up for free HIV testing and many LGBTQ rights activists and organizations. Following a drag show on the North Stage on Saturday, Tina Chen and Peter Vega from the Obama Foundation made an appearance, speaking about the importance of the upcoming election for LGBTQ rights and the upcoming opening of the Obama Center in Hyde Park.
However, these were not the only things in excess this weekend; overflowing crowds and intense heat were in no shortage across North Halsted. The well known Chicago heat was in full effect this weekend, bringing many attendees to their knees, and to medical tents. Crowds reached such heights that security actually stopped letting people in at around 2pm on Saturday. Shows had to be paused to help direct medical teams through the crowds to individuals passing out from heat, and for passing out water bottles to attendees.
All in all, Pride Fest was a success. Staying hydrated was an absolute necessity, but being among the incredible company of friends, cheerful crowds, and high energy performers made Chicago Pride Fest 2024 loads of fun.
