'It’s not just about the G': Saturday's Worcester Pride Festival aims to be biggest yet

WORCESTER - Coming back from COVID and an organizational shake-up, the eponymous festival for Worcester Pride started relatively small. In 2021, the event occupied a portion of Franklin Street and the Worcester Beer Garden.

Since then, the size of the festival, and the accompanying slate of events that make up Worcester’s September pride celebration, has ballooned to greater proportions than anyone could have foreseen.

Saturday, the 2023 Worcester Pride Festival, which runs from 2 to 7 p.m., will take over Franklin Street and a section of Portland Street, as well as Main Street from the Hanover Theatre to the intersection of Pleasant Street, along with all of Worcester Common.

“Really? I didn’t realize it was going to be that big,” said Worcester resident Martin Boersma with visible surprise. Though it has become a fixture on the Worcester social calendar, the scope of the event may still take some by surprise, if Boersma’s reaction is anything to go by.

“Each year, we’re expanding the footprint,” said Alford Green, Worcester Pride’s director of community outreach and DEI.

Gaining momentum

The growing scale of Worcester Pride is the result of community collaboration paired with a dedicated core of committee and board members who have been preparing since February.

“These people had it as their second full-time job to go out there and encourage people to be a part of Pride,” said Green. The success of the past two years has made this task simpler. “Much easier to approach a sponsor or organization and convince them to join,” he said. “We have a lot more visibility now and can better sell the vision because folks have seen it before.”

Vendors, on the other hand, need little convincing, as there was not enough room for all those that applied last year, which is part of what encouraged organizers to expand the event area. While there were still more applicants than available space, this year there are over 150 participating vendors and organizations, more than double that of last year.

Saturday’s event has grown in proportion to the overall Worcester Pride calendar, going from five days with 16 events in 2021 to two weeks with 37 events on the official calendar.

The ever-growing slate of events comes from the Worcester Pride committee and board actively encouraging organizations and people in the LBGTQ+ community to put on their own events. Green said they then would work with organizers to provide logistical support behind the scenes. “Whether they needed a performer, a DJ, if they had a need, then Pride would try to support that,” he said.

Greater representation

A core tenant of the new Worcester Pride, when the old organization was dissolved in 2020, was increased diversity and representation. “Each year we’ve taken incremental steps and we’re at a point where it’s a lot more tangible than the past years but there’s still lots of work to be done,” said Green.

Three years later, it’s approaching that vision, with events to include as many members of the LGBTQ+ community as possible.

“For a long time, Pride really focused on the G in LGBTQ,” said Nicholas O’Donnell, describing how transgender, non-binary, lesbian and other members of the LGBTQ+ community were often sidelined in favor of white, gay men. O’Donnell, who lives with his husband in Auburn, regularly attends events held by the Worcester queer community and has been watching the shift over the last few years with interest. “Finally, it feels like it’s not just about the G,” he said.

Trans and non-binary, elder, youth and even sober events have all been part of the 2023 celebrations. “We want there to be something on the calendar that speaks to everyone who makes up the community,” said Green.

Increased diversity enriches the experience for everyone. Michael O’Connor, whose stage name is Gem Stoner, said that Worcester Pride definitely feels more welcoming over the past few years. “It's important to show that all members of the community are supported equally and that pride isn’t just for cis gay men and drag queens,” he said.

One group in particular that Green is excited to better include is local college students. Traditionally, Worcester has held its Pride celebration in September to not compete with other events in the official Pride month of June, as well as to allow returning students at local colleges to participate.

“The September rationale hasn’t played out as well as we would have liked,” said Green. Last year, Clark University provided shuttles between the campus and the festival location. This year, they will be joined by Worcester Polytechnic University and The College of the Holy Cross.

“We want to break down that barrier of travel that college students often face,” said Green. “When we go to the campus and talk to students and administration, there’s a level of excitement when they just return to campus and are looking for activities.”

Making a Statement

With anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies gaining traction across the country, activism and advocacy was an integral part of this year’s itinerary.

Among the performances and speakers this year, will be a dedicated Drag Extravaganza, said Green. The one-hour set is meant to specifically acknowledge that the “drag and trans community have been especially attacked lately and wanted to showcase their talent and show our support.”

Performers will include known Worcester drag artists including Gem Stoner and Cortana Wednesday, who will be singing the national anthem.

“It’s rewarding to be part of such a large-scale event that celebrates our community and queer artists and shows our true values,” said O’Connor. “Especially in a time where people like transgender people and drag queens can be seen as immoral or wrong.”

Local churches will also have a presence at the festival in support of the community, something Green believes many need to see in light of the recent anti-LGBTQ+ school policies put forward by the Worcester Diocese. “It’s especially important this year for affirming congregations to show there is a different side of Christianity that does celebrate and uplift LGBTQ+ people,” he said.

Looking Ahead

Plans are already underway for next year, especially in regard to making greater inroads into the immigrant population, said Green.

Worcester Pride plans to reach out to organizations like the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts and African Center of Education that represent and support immigrants.

“It would be great to further include them in the event line-up as well as outreach to participate in the festival itself,” said Green. “Definitely an area that we will be exploring more intensely next year.

“I had seen Pride in Providence and Boston and had dreamt of us being half as representative and half as vibrant,” he said. “What we’ve grown Pride into is on par with those other events.”

It’s a multi-year process, said Green, through continual incremental improvements every year, with the ultimate goal of becoming “the largest Pride festival in New England.”

The five parts of Pride:

With an expanded space this year, the Worcester Pride festival has been organized into five different areas. Here’s a rundown of the five parts of Pride.

Food court

With 20 food vendors this year, rather than interspersed throughout, they will be set up along Main Street.

Sports Zone

Sign up for kickball or rugby season and play some pick-up games on the common near Front Street.

Youth and family zone

Family-friendly activities and a bounce house will also be on the common. Supervisors will be available for children so parents and guardians can take a break to explore the wider festival.

Health Services

Aids Project Worcester, UMass Health and other organizations will have booths on Portland Street.

Crafts and nonprofit vendors

Support local businesses and nonprofits while browsing on Franklin Street and the adjacent common area.

Bonus: The stage

Almost impossible to miss, the stage will occupy the same space as last year at the intersection of Main and Franklin streets and will feature performances by Bootz K Morales, Cortana Wednesday, The Dead Friends Club, Diva D, DJs Begbick and TMAN2, Fanta Vibez, Gem Stoner, Harley Queen, Haus of Saint Morta, Haus of Snap, JC Almeida, Lil' Rennie, Rita Mookerjee, Ryconic, Victoria Obvious and Worcester Royal Court.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Saturday's Worcester Pride Festival aims to be biggest yet