Motor City Pride Festival includes music, drag shows, comedy and more on four stages
The Motor City Pride Festival at Detroit's Hart Plaza will include dozens of performers on four stages June 11 and 12.
Live music from local artists and international stars, drag show performances, comedy and more will be on tap.
Grammy-winning R&B/soul/funk singer Jody Watley will headline the festival Saturday and Detroit alt-pop musician Jax Anderson, formerly known as Flint Eastwood, will close the show Sunday.
"The lineup for the Festival was meticulously curated to pay tribute to our music history for the 50th anniversary since the first Pride March in Detroit, as well as to look forward to a few artists just on the cusp of getting the national attention they deserve," said stage coordinator Alex Delavan in a news release.
A parade scheduled for noon Sunday will be held for the 50th year since Detroit's first LGBTQ march in 1972, with nearly 100 companies and nonprofits participating. The march begins at Griswold and Fort streets and ends at Hart Plaza.
Related: 50 years ago, activists dared to hold first Pride march in Detroit
More: Free comic book preserves, celebrates history of Michigan's first LGBTQ Pride march
Family activities will include face painting, arts, crafts and more from 1-5 p.m. both days.
Admission for the festival is $5; children under 12 are free.
Festival lineup
Pride Stage - June 11
1 p.m. - Sing Out
2 p.m. - JonPaul Wallace
3 p.m. - TYLR_
4 p.m. - Alisabeth Von Presley
5 p.m. - Sabin
7:30 p.m. - Jody Watley
8 p.m. - DJ Johnb
Pride Stage - June 12
12:30 p.m. - Loading...
2 p.m. - Prism
3 p.m. - Miss Bouvèé
4 p.m. - Otto
5 p.m. - Jax Anderson
6:30 p.m. - Loading…
Riverfront Dance Stage - June 11
1 p.m. - xtrMayo
2:30 p.m. - DJ Johnb
4 p.m. - Cooper Crank
5:30 p.m. - Metawav
7 p.m. - Mac Diesel
Riverfront Dance Stage - June 12
1:30 p.m. - Garrison XR
3 p.m. - Reem
5 p.m. - Wreckno
Pyramid Stage - June 11
1:30 p.m. - Him Him
3 p.m. - Julie H.
4 p.m. - Kendra Baker
5 p.m. - Cullen Blue
6 p.m. - Darvon
7 p.m. - Destiny S
Pyramid Stage - June 12
1 p.m. - Out Loud Chorus
2:30 p.m. - Ryan Bacorski
3:30 p.m. - Crystal Harding
Festival Stage - June 11
1 p.m. - Wake Up Jamie
2 p.m. - Anthony J Fink
3 p.m. - Katie Stanley
4 p.m. - Rodeo Boys
5 p.m. - Nuke & the Nightshift
6 p.m. - The Doozers
7 p.m. - Corry Michaels
Festival Stage - June 12
1 p.m. - Grand Circus
2 p.m. - Summer Like The Season
3 p.m. - Urban Muse
4 p.m. - Drew Schultz
5 p.m. - The Band Mint
Here are a few other events happening this weekend that might be of interest:
Detroit Historic Pride, A Walking Tour: Offers a two-hour walking tour of locations downtown of importance to Detroit’s earliest gay and lesbian communities, from bars to bathhouses, safe havens to protest sites and discussions about pioneers who fought for liberation and everyday people who risked being arrested. $26.
MI Drag Brunch: Motor City Pride Queens with performances by East MI Brunchettes and Mariah Balenciaga: 11a.m. and 2 p.m. June 12 at Hopcat Detroit, 4265 Woodward, Detroit.
The Motor City Pride Whine Down: Music, food and more with DJ Lixxer and DJ Tone. 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. June 12, Mix Bricktown, 641 Beaubien, Detroit.
Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Motor City Pride Festival lineup includes dozens of performers, parade