Celebrating Pride 2019 in Charlottesville

Saturday, Sept. 14, Charlottesville closed its eighth annual weeklong Pride festival celebrating the local LGBT+ community. 

Following the 50 year anniversary of the historical and revolutionary Stonewall riots, Charlottesville hosted yet another amazing week of fun and celebration and wrapped it all up with the Pride festival on Saturday. Included at the festival were booths filled by non-profit organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and countless more. 

Caroline Weschler, former PVCC student, went to Charlottesville Pride for the second year in a row.  Caroline said, “Pride just makes me really happy because everyone at pride is happy together, and I love that there’s an event where we can all celebrate being gay and not be scared.” 

The Pride Festival was held at the Sprint Pavilion on the Downtown Mall. Many children and adults attended Charlottesville Pride, most wearing bright, rainbow colors to represent the most common symbol of the LGBT community. Throughout the day, multiple performances took place on the Sprint Pavilion stage. From drag queens to local bands, the festival had enough to keep patrons entertained all day. 

Mia Smith, a current student and president of the LGBT club at PVCC, said, “Pride to me means a collection of beautiful and bright people from all over my community. It means being in a family, being able to look at others faces and seeing myself in them. It’s about feeling right and safe. It’s about turning our struggles into a celebration of how amazing we are.” 

Charlottesville’s annual Pride helps bring together people from all walks of life and recognize what makes every resident of Charlottesville so special.