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Ortiz: Pride in the Park is a celebration of love

Orlando Ortiz
Valley Voices
Mountain Pride Community Engagement Manager Orlando Ortiz.
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Pride is an annual event that takes place in June all over the world, which promotes LGBTQ+ pride and equality, and June is known as Pride Month. Mountain Pride is celebrating its fourth annual Pride in the Park at Nottingham Park in Avon on June 3 from noon to 8 p.m.

Pride in the Park is the celebration of the diversity with the goal to create awareness, equity, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community. The event is free and open to everyone. The day is jam-packed with activities for all ages, so bring your friends and family.

There will be 10 food trucks, including two vegan options, over 60 booths of vendors, activities and community organizations, and a kid’s zone. Activities include two bouncy castles, rock climbing, face painting, photo booths, yard games, HIV testing, and more.



The day-of schedule is the following:

Noon: Carrying on the tradition, we will begin the day’s festivities with a yoga ceremony with Jose Pablo Alvarez. Remember to bring your yoga mat, sunscreen, and water bottle.

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1 p.m.: Mountain Pride kicks off Pride in the Park with an official welcome and the first of two drag shows. There will be local performers from Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, and from our very own backyard, Eagle County. Don’t forget to bring cash to tip your queens and kings.

2 p.m: We’re bringing back one of the highlights from last year, the Pet Pawshion Show. Take center stage and show us your pup’s rainbow pride. Visit us at MountainPride.org for registration. Prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed pup.

3 p.m.: The Out & Proud and second drag show will be a full hour with six different performers from Denver and Dallas, Texas. There will be performances in both English and Spanish, where you will see returning queens and kings as well as new artists, which you cannot miss.

4 p.m.: New this year, we are thrilled to bring you live musical entertainment. The first of two live performances is local band Trees Don’t Move, who play alternative rock and sing songs about mental health.

5 p.m.: Join the Pride Parade around Nottingham Lake. Bring your signs, flags and spirit to march in unity as we continue to fight for equality and for our community’s civil rights. This year will mark 53 years since the first-ever Pride march back in 1970, a year after the Stonewall Uprising.

6 p.m.: This year we are closing the day’s celebration with an LGBTQ+ international headliner. All the way from Australia, we bring you G FLIP! A non-binary musician and advocate for mental health awareness, their lyrics are about rebellion, gender identity, and falling in love. Join us on the dance floor to celebrate.

A special thanks to our sponsors: Town of Avon, the Vail Daily and Vail Health Behavioral Health. Also thanks to the town of Avon, this year you will see the pride flags flown from June 1 through July 5 in the roundabouts.

If you can’t make it to Pride in the Park, be sure to check out our June calendar of events as there will be plenty of opportunities to attend and connect with us. For more information, visit us at MountainPride.org and follow us on social media.

Orlando Ortiz is the community engagement manager for Mountain Pride.


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