Preparations begin for Pikes Peak Pride, first major LGBTQ+ event held since Club Q tragedy

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - It's a big weekend in Colorado Springs. The Pikes Peak Pride Festival is happening in Downtown Colorado Springs at Alamo Square Park in front of the Pioneers Museum. It's also the first LGBTQ+ event held since the deadly Club Q shooting.

The Pikes Peak Pride Festival this year is significant for several reasons. One, it gives the community a chance to come together and celebrate being together and being themselves. This is also the first major LGBTQ+ event held in the region since the tragedy at Club Q last year.

"It's important to be represented because we're a group that's still attacked," Raymond Figge said. "So it's good to know you have other individuals that are just like you so you're not alone."

There will be a memorable celebration in honor of the tragedy at Club Q Saturday at 11 a.m. Organizers hope this year can be a time to heal. They'll be recognizing some of the survivors and remembering the victims.

"Especially with this being the first pride event since the Club Q tragedy last November, this is a year where we need pride," Gretchen Pressley said. "We need to stand together. Our theme this year is the power of pride to show that our community is stronger when we all come together in all our diversity when we're all being our authentic selves."

In preparation for the Pride festival, a colorful crosswalk on the corner of Tejon and Vermijo downtown was installed Friday morning. Organizers do this to show they care about the entire area's ambiance, making sure everything is inclusive and celebratory everywhere you look!

"When young people see and experience pride they know there are others out there that share the same feelings and have the same ideas," Figge said. "I think it brings them more comfort and willingness to be their authentic selves."

Some of the performers have been coming back to the pride in Colorado Springs for 15-20 years. They say a lot has changed since the beginning in our community.

"The burst of LGBTQIA+ individuals, I love it," Porsha De Marco Douglas said. "Everyone's coming here to be themselves, live their truth, taking up space, that is pride."

Festivities kick off Saturday at 8:30 a.m. with a 'Rosie Run' race at Legacy Loop Plaza.

But the bulk of the activities will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday in front of the Pioneer Museum. Including the parade Sunday at 11 a.m. with 80 floats and organizations involved.

The parade will be between Acacia Park and the Pioneer Museum at Alamo Square Park. Throughout the days there will be all sorts of high-energy entertainment including drag shows, live bands, poetry, and dance troupes. As well as services, over 120 vendors, food trucks, and resources such as Inside Out.

For the kids and teens, there will be a rainbow youth square in a corner of the event area with drag story time, dance tutorials, makeup tutorials, karaoke, and open mic hours to keep all ages entertained.

With all of the festivities downtown, there are bound to be some traffic impacts in the area.

Starting at 1 p.m. Friday, Vermijo will be closed between Tejon and Nevada until Sunday night.

Starting Saturday at 7 a.m. Tejon will be closed between Vermijo and the area in front of MacKenzie's Chop House until Sunday night.

On Sunday during the parade, a specific portion of Tejon between Cache La Poudre and Cimarron will be closed from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m.

Visit the Pikes Peak Pride website for a full list of events going on over the weekend.