Fresh off Atlanta Pride comes another gay favorite with the Little 5 Points Halloween celebration
Tens of thousands flocked to Piedmont Park last weekend to celebrate the 40th year of Atlanta Pride and were greeted with clear skies and warm weather, perfect for lying on the grass and listening to music, marching and circling the marketplace for free swag.
For organizers, this year was also one that desperately needed to go well.
“It was a really, really good Pride,” said James Parker Sheffield, executive director of Atlanta Pride, reflecting on the Oct. 9-10 festival. “Atlanta had been needing that. I was really glad we could deliver.”
Fresh off the 40th year of Atlanta Pride comes another gay favorite festival and parade with the Little 5 Points Halloween celebration Friday and Saturday.
The fest opens Friday from 5-10 p.m. with live music, outdoor beverage vendors as well as promotions from neighborhood restaurants and stores.
An organizer of the event, Brian Baj, who is openly gay, says this year is especially queer friendly and includes “tranny sensation” Jayne County performing on Saturday.
Grammy winner Thelma Houston closed out the stage for Augusta Pride on June 19, but there was one more inspiring moment awaiting the hundreds who withstood the withering heat to be there for the festival’s finale.
As Augusta Pride organizers took the microphone to thank attendees and celebrate the success of the city’s first-ever gay Pride, a faint rainbow arched across the sky.
“That was like a sign from God,” Augusta Pride President Isaac Kelly said.