Denver draws people from the LGBTQ+ community from all over the West and the world
With a number of highlight events, including the Denver PrideFest that is regarded as one of the top 10 Pride events in the nation, the capital of Colorado in the United States, has geared up to celebrate Pride Month this June in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
According to a press statement by Visit Denver, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Denver PrideFest 2023 is scheduled for June 24–25. The Pride 5K on June 24 serves as the official onset of the weekend’s events which continue with the Coors Light Denver Pride Parade on June 25. Absolut Dance World will perform on Denver Pride’s Centre Stage, along with headliners from RuPaul’s Drag Race and other acts like Deanne and DJ T-Beatz. The nonprofit organisation Centre on Colfax organises Denver’s PrideFest.
The statement says that in addition to PrideFest, Denver will also host month-long events to celebrate Pride, including Big Pride Energy at Call to Arms Brewing Company from June 1–24, Indie 102.3 Pride Party at Meow Wolf on June 2, Pride Night at the Rockies on June 9, release of “Berry Proud” Sour Ale by Denver Beer Co on June 1, with a portion of sales benefiting One Colorado, the June 22 Pride Powerhouses from A-Z Drag Show, and Rainbows and Revolutions at History Colorado Centre and many more.
It goes on to say that the Coors Light Denever Pride allows visitors to enjoy marchers, dancers and floats down Colfax Avenue, the longest commercial street in the US. Denver PrideFest is also often recognised as one of the most family-friendly celebrations in the country.
Over 500,000 people are expected for the Denver PrideFest this year – the largest LGBTQ+ event in the Rocky Mountain region, says the statement.
It adds that the LGBTQ+ community is celebrated and supported in Denver year-round, with events like the CinemaQ Film Festival and the Colorado Gay Rodeo, as well as welcoming neighbourhoods, queer-friendly stores, restaurants, and bars like Pie Queen, Blush and Blu, Rita’s Law, Third Culture, and Mozart’s Denver, to name a few.
The first Pride festival was held in Cheesman Park in the city’s long and illustrious LGBTQ+ history in 1974. Denver was one of the first cities in the US to implement a policy against discrimination against gays and lesbians in 1990 and in 2014, Colorado legalised same-sex unions, recognising love in all cultures.
Being the largest city within a 1,000 km radius, Denver draws people from the LGBTQ+ community from all over the West and the world, resulting in welcoming neighbourhoods, hotels, restaurants, and stores that welcome them, as well as a number of annual events that draw sizable crowds, says the statement.
