Pride parade set to return
A pride parade and festival will be returning to Boston for the first time since 2019, with a new organization putting together the fun-filled festivities.
Boston Pride For The People announced yesterday that it has worked over the past year to ensure the festivities, which will be held the weekend of June 10, include a “broad chorus of voices.”
“We are all about centering community and people,” BP4TP President Adrianna Boulin told the Herald. “Together, all of the different people part of this process contribute to what that means to us. We really want to open that up to the community to define what pride means when it’s centered on people.”
BP4TP takes over oversight of the weekend after Boston Pride, an LGBTQ+ group that organized the pride and festival for 50 years, dissolved in 2021 amid a boycott over issues relating to race, transgender inclusion and fundraising efforts.
Held at just City Hall Plaza in the past, the festival will now also be hosted at Boston Common, Boulin said. The parade will follow a similar route but there may be some slight deviations to make more accessible, she said.
The parade and festival will be held that Saturday while other events extend into Sunday.
With the dates set, there is still more work to be done to ensure the return of the parade and festival goes smoothly.
BP4TP is seeking “substantial volunteer and financial support,” according to the organizers. Those interested in volunteering on the BP4TP planning committee can apply on the organization’s website.
The fundraising goal is $750,000, and BP4TP’s board of directors is looking to secure sponsorships to cover the majority of the costs, so registration costs for community groups and small business can be kept “minimal,” said Gary Daffin, a board member and executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition.
Mayor Michelle Wu, in the release, said she looks forward to welcoming those who come to the city for the festivities.
“Boston has a long history of advancing LGBTQ+ equality,” the mayor said, “and I’m so grateful to Boston Pride for the People to keep this legacy going and ensure the success of this year’s events.”