Braves to Celebrate Stonewall Anniversary on Pride Night

It’s a night that will honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, members of the Atlanta LGBTQ community and the allies that support them, all happening on Pride Night at SunTrust Park. The Atlanta Braves, a continued supporter and advocate for the LGBTQ community, say an evening like this shows just how inclusive sports in Atlanta have really become.

“We want the community to feel comfortable and experience a game, whether it’s us or Atlanta  United,” said Adrian Williams, Senior Director of Diversity and Community Marketing with the Atlanta Braves. “I think that’s important to create an environment for everyone to feel welcomed in.”

Pride Night officially started in 2011, but Williams says prior to that, the team has been a longtime supporter of equality dating back to the 1960s when the team first moved to Atlanta. Several years before the Stonewall Riots in New York City, Atlanta faced an uprising in the civil rights movement among the African-American community. The team became vocal supporters for civil rights and those who fought to make their voices heard. They continue that mission to this day and it doesn’t go unnoticed, Williams says.

“That is not only the community showing strong support for us but us wanting to continue to show strong support to the community,” he said.

Last year, the Braves sold 1,400 tickets for their annual LGBTQ Pride Night. Williams says they’ve consistently sold out their Pride programs, but this year they’re hoping to increase those ticket sales to 2,200, with the opportunity to expand to 3,000 tickets.

“We had to move our pre-game party because we were at capacity,” he said. Its new home at the Coca-Cola Roxy, just steps from SunTrust Park, will give attendees the best entertainment inside the perimeter. DJ Kimber from Nonsense ATL will spin the beats, and upon entry, guests will receive their Braves Pride shirt to take home as a souvenir.

“This year’s t-shirt will be our lowercase A with the pride flag integrated into it,” he said. “We’re really excited about that.”

In addition to all of the favorite game events, Williams notes they’re working with several key figures within the Atlanta LGBTQ community to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, that took place in New York City during the summer of 1969.

The game against the Philadelphia Phillies starts at 7:20pm with the pre-game party lasting from 5:20pm to 7:20pm. Tickets are $45 and include access to the pre-game party, a home run porch game ticket, Braves Pride shirt, access to Xfinity Rooftop, and a $3 donation to Lost-N-Found.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.mlb.com/
braves/tickets/specials/pride.