Rules, safety tips offered for Indy Pride parade, festival
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indy Pride parade and festival are back. The festival returns to Military Park for the first time since 2019.
Thousands of people are expected to come out for the events, so event organizers are offering rules and safety tips so that everyone can have a great time.
“It’s time and we need it. We really do. I feel like this a good time for it,” Jayne Walters, an Indy Pride board member, said.
The fun starts Saturday morning with the Indy Pride Parade on Massachusetts Avenue at 10 a.m. Hundreds of participants will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and compete for awards including best float and best decorated vehicle. Then, one of the biggest parties of the year — the Indy Pride Festival — kicks off at Military Park, which starts at 11 a.m.
The entertainment lineup includes live music, two drag shows, and a drag queen story hour. There will also be a family fun zone stage. Indy Pride is partnering with Gate Ten Events and Parking for the parade and festival, which means people can park at 345 West McCarty street.
The parking lot will offer a free shuttle service.
“If they’re coming to the festival, it drops them off about a block north, but if they’re ADA, then it will bring them right to the front gate,” Walters said.
Tickets to the Indy Pride Festival are $7 in advance and $10 the day of the event. Guns, fireworks, coolers, grills, bikes, and pre-packaged food, among other things are prohibited. Anyone carrying a purse and backpack should prepare to have their items checked.
“We have three security teams that we are working with in addition to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department,” the executive director of Indy Pride, Shelly Snider, said.
Event organizers say they’re looking forward to to getting back to bringing people together to celebrate and help make a positive impact.
“It’s really great to be able to come together again, especially with everything that’s going across the country and so many attacks on the LGBTQ community,” Walters said.
“A lot of LGBTQ+ people have felt really isolated during the pandemic and we’re hoping that they will all come out tomorrow and be with those who love them, so that they can celebrate in a space where they can be their authentic selves,” Snider said.
Event organizers say they’re also looking for more volunteers to help with food, the family fun zone, among other things.