Pueblo Pride Festival celebrates 18th year with largest crowd to date

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The community came together Sunday for a celebratory parade, festivities, and entertainment at the 18th annual pride festival in Pueblo.

This year's festival was the biggest it's been since the festival began in 2004. There were over 120 businesses, sponsors, and nonprofits, and event organizers say between 750 and 1,000 people showed up.

"Pueblo has always been a welcoming community," SCEA President Tommy Farrell said. "We take care of each other in Pueblo regardless of a group you may be a part of. We have seen that in evidence over the years as more and more organizations in Pueblo, businesses, and the city itself finds new ways to support our event and our community."

Folks in attendance say they keep coming back because the sense of belonging and community makes them feel at home.

"It's important that we have pride so everybody knows they're not alone, and pride also helps people find their inner strength to be their true selves," Attendee Jen Lowe said. "So we come to pride every year because it makes us feel positive to be around folks of like mind."

Sunday, the City of Pueblo also declared August 21 'Pueblo LGBTQ Pride Day' in a ceremony.

"The LBGTQ community has made lots of progress," Farrell said. "But we see some things happening. There's some concerns and signs that our progress might be back tracking a little bit. So it's good to come together, celebrate our identities, and be able to be authentically us and be around a community that supports us."

The theme of this year's festival was declared as 'loud and proud.' Event organizers say it was chosen in response to making themselves heard amongst recent controversy.