Mixed Media
Santa Fe Pride
Earlier this summer, many Santa Feans were bewildered to find out that the city’s Pride festivities, coordinated by the Human Rights Alliance, were moving to September. Though most cities hold Pride festivities in June to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots — which occurred at the end of June 1969 in New York City’s Greenwich Village and mark what is known as the beginning of the gay rights movement — Santa Fe has to contend with limited public spaces in which to hold giant parties during one of the most tourist- and festival-heavy times of the year.
Now, with the season’s hottest days behind us, members of the LGBTQI community and their friends and allies can flock to the Quad at Santa Fe University of Art and Design (1600 St. Michael’s Drive) — where parking is free — from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, for a festival featuring a variety of vendors and community organizations, as well as local and national celebrity entertainers.
This year’s lineup features Latrice Royale from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Lillie McCloud of The X-Factor, CoCo Caliente, Bella Gigante, Ryder Alnight, Zircus Erotique, Jewel Box Cabaret, New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus, masters of ceremonies Quinn Fontaine and Marybeth Lindsey, and many other acts. The Pride Parade is 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, with people gathering at Fort Marcy Park beginning at 6 p.m. The parade is followed by a DJ dance on the Plaza until 10 p.m. and then an after-party at Skylight (139 W. San Francisco St.). Skylight also hosts an after-party on Saturday night following the Pride Festival at SFUAD, at which attendees with VIP tickets can meet the weekend’s entertainers. The final event for Santa Fe Pride 2017 is a fundraising brunch at Museum Hill Café (710 Camino Lejo), 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, for the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance/Santa Fe Pride LGBTQ+ Scholarship Fund at Santa Fe Community College. Reservations are required to attend the brunch; call 505-984-8900. For a complete schedule of events and VIP tickets to the Skylight after-party, visit www.santafepride.org. — Jennifer Levin