This year, the Atlanta Pride 2024 Festival was thrown by the Atlanta Pride Committee on Oct. 12 and 13. This year, the annual festival saw an attendance of approximately 300,000 people including some GCSU students and alumni.
Unlike other Pride festivals, Atlanta Pride is held in October instead of June, during pride month. According to WSB-TV, the change was made in 2008 to coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, providing more meaning to the celebration. Another reason for moving the festival is due to the numerous events that Atlanta hosts during the summer, such as the Peachtree Road Raceand the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, and some even speculate that the change is due to how extreme the June heat is for festivalgoers to endure.
During Pride weekend in Atlanta, there are lots of different activities to take part in including the parade that is held on Sunday, and the main concert is held on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Coca-Cola Roxy Stage.
Along with the concert and parade, there are also Drag Story Hours, where drag queens read for everyone, family fun zones, car shows and artisan markets. Pride is about being inclusive, so the Pride committee attempts to pique the interests of all.
“ATL Pride was one of the first Pride events I had ever gone to,” said Ellen Patton, a senior museum studies major. “Walking into a space that was so diverse and welcoming was an experience that I’ll never forget.”
At Atlanta Pride, many are able to find a community of people who have shared similar experiences and end up making friends who last long after the event.
“I remember my first ATL Pride when I was 16, and I felt so welcomed by the older girls that I met there, and I hope I did that for someone this year,” said GCSU alumni Chloe Hooper.
During the parade, viewers can see the plethora of companies that support the LGBTQIA+ community. Companies that are integral to Atlanta, such as Coca-Cola and Delta, had representatives marching and on floats in the parade wearing shirts with their company’s Pride logo.
Other floats in the parade were made by those hoping to encourage those present at the parade to vote. While the parade was very diverse, most of the signs were in support of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
While some parade participants took the opportunity to support their candidate of choice, others simply had fun with cutouts of pets, memes and celebrities such as drag queen Trixie Mattel. Many floats played music or threw candy, and the Atlanta Pride Committee had approximately 20 people carrying a giant Pride flag during the march.
The environment of Pride was energetic and supportive, and the goal of everyone in attendance was to celebrate themselves and their loved ones for living the way they were made to.
“The energy that radiated from everyone, the smiles, the outfits, couldn’t be replicated if you tried,” said Patton. “Seeing a city come together to show support for a community I love so dearly was heartwarming and a huge reminder that we are not alone in our experiences.”
Pride is meant to be a time of support and love, and that is exactly what was perpetuated at the 2024 Atlanta Pride. The hope of most in attendance is that legislation supports the LGBTQIA+ community and does not endanger them.
