On Sunday, May 19th, Frenchtown celebrated its second annual Pride Parade and Festival.

Frenchtown is a very diverse town and extremely LGBTQ friendly. Due to this fact, the Frenchtown Council decided to hold a local pride festival. This was its second year in a row holding the gathering. The event started at 11 am and ended at 3 pm with a parade that began at 12:30 pm. The day was absolutely beautiful: sunny and 86°F. With the event taking place right next to the river, the breeze made everything perfect.

There were booths run by several local sellers, and one spin-off version of Croquet named “Cro-gay” featuring the two teams, Drag Kings and Drag Queens. Cro-gay held a fundraiser to help fund the Frenchtown middle school’s theater program, as the school has been lacking in funds due to budget cuts. The event also featured mini-vendors who were selling flags, pins, dog toys, and other items that featured the rainbow colors. There was even a booth where you could get your face painted! The festival was not limited to adults and teens; it was open to every age. Frenchtown’s Pride Festival recognizes that love is love and that everyone is welcome to celebrate the event’s message. The Frenchtown Council is pleased with the outcome and will be making plans for next year’s festival.

If you were not able to go to the festival but want to celebrate pride, there are a few more options. June is Pride month, dedicated to all those who are of the LGBTQ community and have fought to gain their rights to marriage. An option is the NYC Pride events, which will take place all month long, and the parade will be held June 30th.