EUGENE, Ore. -- Pride in the Park takes place Saturday, August 13, at 11 a.m. at Alton Baker Park.
The event has been held for 25 years, and organizers are expecting their biggest turnout yet. Last year they started a march from Spectrum Queer Bar in Downtown Eugene to Alton Baker Park, and they will march again this year. The march will take place at 10:30 a.m. and begin at Spectrum Bar at 150 west Broadway. They will march down Broadway, High Street, cross Sixth and Seventh Avenue, then cross the Ferry Street bridge to the park.
Eugene Pride Board President Brooks McLain says they are expecting 10,000 people to attend, with up to 5,000 at once. He says they will have music, comedy, food trucks, a beer garden and more.
“We have over two hundred sponsors and vendors. We'll have food trucks, we have two stages, we have a beer garden, we have a gender diverse clothing swap, we have a host of nonprofits including HIV Alliance, who will be doing STI testing, HIV testing, and some COVID vaccines as well. A lot of good community support,” Said McLain.
One of the biggest challenges facing the event has been staffing. McLain says they are a volunteer run organization, so getting people to help can be a challenge.
He also says they want people to have a safe space where they can express themselves
“The most important thing about pride is that it's a place where you can come and be who you are," McLain said. "And whether you're lesbian, gay person, a transgender person, intersex, asexual people, its really a place where you can come out and feel comfortable holding your partners hand, or showing public displays of affection, or being unabashedly queer in a dedicated space for queer people.”
He also said they have safety measures in place to keep attendees safe so they can enjoy the festival worry free.
The event starts at 11 a.m. on August 13 and will run through 6 p.m. at Alton Baker Park.
