Why You Should Come Celebrate PRIDE in Hastings!
Come to Hastings on June 3 and join the hundreds of people walking under the giant rainbow arch to gather in Highland Park, behind the Hastings Museum, for Hastings PRIDE 2023. The festival and march celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Nebraska. Now in its fourth formal year, Hastings PRIDE is growing at a breakneck pace, with the number of attendees and exhibitors increasing year over year.
ONE TOGETHER
The theme of this year’s festival is “RISE UP1” signifying the need for everyone to rise up against the forces discriminating against the Queer community. The first 500 attendees to register, will receive a free commemorative tie-dye T-shirt bearing the theme and the event’s sponsor logos.
Like most PRIDE celebrations, Hastings PRIDE stands on three “pillars”: Visibility; Education & Advocacy; and Entertainment.
VISIBILITY
The main event of the afternoon, you’re invited you to join hundreds of LGBTQ+ people and their allies to march down Burlington Avenue to 7th Street, a primary intersection, where you will have some water and spread out to the four corners for a few minutes, waving at the passing traffic, then march back to the park — a 1.8 mile route. As always, the march will be led by the “Parade of Flags”, a procession of 13 flags identifying segments of the LGBTQ+ community in a phalanx of color.
EDUCATION & ADVOCACY
Once you return to the festival in the park, you will be greeted by over 50 exhibitors/vendors, including many non-profit agencies who provide services to the community, and a program of speakers and performers. This year’s festival is dedicated to the victims of anti-trans violence.
ENTERTAINMENT
Due to the generosity of the festival sponsors, in addition to free admission, Hastings PRIDE is able to provide a plethora of entertainment for you when you come to Hastings PRIDE 2023, including a photo booth, professional face painting, inflatable rides, balloon twister, and live music – all free. There will be a collection of food trucks there as well, serving a wide variety of cuisines to tempt your taste buds.
A SUCCESSFUL EVENT FOR ALL
All in all, Hastings PRIDE 2023 will be an exciting and educational celebration of PRIDE month in Hastings for people of all ages. The dozens of volunteers involved look forward to greeting you and as many as 1,000 other guests who will come together to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Won’t you join in the fun on June 3?