TRENTON PRIDE
Capital City holds first ever Pride Fest
TRENTON >> It was all rainbows and butterflies at Trenton’s first-ever Pride Fest.
The capital city once earned the dubious distinction of being the least gayfriendly city in New Jersey. But residents seemed to embrace Trenton’s historic LGBTQ-inspired festival Saturday with hundreds coming out for it.
“We’ve never had a pride celebration before,” said Reed Gusciora, who last year became Trenton’s first openly gay mayor by beating Paul Perez in a runoff. “I know they’ve had picnics and stuff like that. But this is our first pride. The diversity speaks for itself. I’m surprised at how many straight Trentonians showed up.”
The roadways at South Warren Street between East State and Lafayette streets were blocked off for eventgoers who took in the festivities, which included food trucks and stage performers. The event went from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The mayor arrived around 2 p.m., walking through the crowd taking photos with residents and out-of-towners drawn to downtown Trenton this weekend. New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy also stopped in for a visit.
It was a much-welcome change of pace for a stretch of the capital city that is normally a “ghost town,” Gusciora said.
“It’s just a way of bringing the community together, but also, most importantly, it’s to really change the ghost town on the weekends to a lively place to come,” he said. “And that’s really why these festivals are so important, is to bring Trentonians to downtown to create an environment that’s worthy of being a destination.”
While other cities regularly hold festivals and parades, Gusciora admitted Trenton has been somewhat behind the eight ball. But his administration has emphasized these communitybuilding events, such as the Chinese New Year and Bastille Day celebrations that took place earlier this year, to foster a sense of inclusiveness and resurgence.
“We’re trying to take our city to the next level,” the mayor said. “This is going to be a burgeoning town that we want to prepare for . ... Every time you go to another city that’s a destination, whether it’s San Francisco or New Orleans or Austin, they have things to do. They have art. They have great music. A long time ago, [former Princeton Mayor] Barbara Sigmund told me that when they uncovered the ashes at Pompeii, they weren’t looking for government meeting notes. They were looking for the art, and the beauty, and the culture. And that’s what we’re trying to create here in Trenton.”