Phoenix Pride

The wife and I had the opportunity to go to phx pride this year. It was my first time to venture to pride and I was pleasantly surprised. We went Saturday and it was so awesome to see so many ppl straight & lgbtq community coming together. The alcohol tix were 6 $ each and we spent a pretty penny getting drunk lol. The vendors were pretty neat and took home a lot of neat stuff, shirts included. It would have be awesome to have more live music from famous ppl but it’s all good. Over all fun experience and great atmosphere

I come here every year, and I wish I could have seen the parade. The trick is to come on Saturday if you don’t like crowds as much — but some booths will be missing. we were looking for the massage people all day but to no avail. They have clean bathrooms, there’s no trash on the floor, and everyone is so friendly and great.
It warms my heart to see big corporations there, and I especially like the anti-​theistic booths. Sure, I like that accepting churches exist, but for the godless liberals among us, it’s wonderful to find nonsecular coalitions, too.

Can I tell you how fun Sat was?
I got the pleasure to walk in Phoenix Pride Parade with Cox Communications, Cox is a great company that supports the Human Rights Campaign and diversity in the workplace. The parade started lil after 10am along 3^rd St from Thomas to Indian School Rd.
It was great seeing the many companies that where in the parade as well, US Airways was in the house, Starbucks was handing out Ice Coffee or Ice Tea to workers, Macys, Chipotle, couple of high school marching bands and some valley churches and much more. It was just great seeing everyone walking in the parade and just showing support!
Now as for the parade watchers on the sides of the street, man what a very conservative crowd, it was like they were frightened to clap, laugh or yell, and I know us folks walking for Cox were having some crazy fun, but nope the crowd didnt get into it. I expected more out of the crowd dangit!
After the parade we headed on into the pride festival at Steel Indian School Park and once you walk in you see couple of huge tents for shade, I can personally say I was greatful for that, took a break from walking and chilled at a table with chairs and a huge fan! Kept me nice and cool. There was many booths to check out, food trucks & booze. Alot to keep anyone entertained, for me its the drag queens! Love watching the queens!!!
For those closed minded peeps, I walked in the Phoenix Pride Festival straight and walked out still straight, so I guess its not contagious, and I do have to admit there was some good looking men, but it was like being placed in a candy store with your jaw wired shut. I can look, but not touch. It was a very great time! Look forward to walking in the parade next year, just hope the crowd learns how to loosen up and cheer by then.

I love going to pride, but Phoenix really needs to consider 1) getting better artists to play the music aspect of it, because almost every year its not very good! The best was when pride had joan jett and berlin, every other year after that it has pretty much sucked… not worth staying for. For that reason and for the #2 reason… WHHHHYYYY HAVE PRIDE THE 3RD WEEKEND OF APRIL!!! its always hotter than hell and its just ridiculous to have it that weekend! its the same every freakin year only this year on saturday it hit like 105!!! is usually 98 – 99!!! walking around in that big ass dusty park for hours on end because HELLO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SHOWING OUR PRIDE! lol… they need to consider having in MARCH! when the weather is still nice and people aren’t dying from the heat! The crowd numbers would triple I think if they had they festival in March because everyone knows its cooler in March :-)

After going to Pride several years in a row, I figure it’s finally time to write a review. I’ll try to make it concise, since there’s sooooo much going on.
The Good:
–The Parade… mostly. Some of the walkers make you wonder «Why?» but generally they’re all there for a reason.
— The Camaraderie. So many of the LGBTQ community come together to celebrate our diversity.
— The Entertainment. Usually the «big names» are pretty decent entertainers, even if they can be a little dated. ie. Tiffany, En Vogue, Blake Lewis, Uh Huh Her (the last 2 aren’t all that dated, fyi) and most of the kings and queens who perform are the best Phoenix has to offer. Most, not all, mind you.
— The Purpose. Most people don’t know this but the proceeds from the festival help to fund things like the Phoenix Pride Scholarship Fund. Most of the drink stands that are run by The Men Of Charlies and other organisations benefit that organisation or charity. So it’s more than just a booze fest, it’s a booze fest with a purpose!
The Not-​So-​Good:
— The Heat. Yes, it’s in April, but by April it’s already really damn hot. Especially for the lack of shade at the festival.
— The Cost. $ 20 for a ticket to be accosted by vendors trying to squeeze more money out of the gays seems a little steep. It’s basically the same vendors every year, nothing changes. I don’t think a person needs that many rubber bracelets sporting a rainbow with «Wells Fargo» on it.
— The food/​drinks. Same old same old, for the price of State Fair food. And there aren’t that many food vendors. And VERY few options for those who are vegetarian/​vegan, and considering how many of our community are vegetarian or vegan you’d think there’d be more.
— The Parking. Which is ridiculous. We usually end up parking at a nearby strip club and walking a few blocks, which sucks (see Heat above). There needs to be a better parking situation.
All in all it’s not a bad festival, and it is actually the 4^th largest Pride Festival in the country. I just wish there was more content, though they’re trying really hard to put in more exhibits, like the Erotic Art and the Wedding Expo.

Hmm… a little late to be writing about pride… but here goes:
I’ve been to pride several times and each time I’m left asking myself, «Why?». I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love hanging with my peeps, but it just seems like a big drunken shit-​show.
In my best Bob Ross, I’m going to paint a picture of this event for you.
We’re here, parade is over and we are ready to gay it the eff up. Cool, now let me whip out my $ 20 to buy a ticket. Hmm, now I’m thirsty for overpriced beer-​flavored water… what’s that huge line for? Must be the bathrooms… oh what’s that? It’s to get a wristband for aforementioned beverages? Word. *20 minutes later* Sweeeeet! Got my wristband, now where’s the beeeeer?! Hey man, can I get a brewski? Huh? Tickets? Nah… I have this wristband, see? Oh, there’s a line to buy drink tickets? Snap” *20 minutes later* Ew hide, creepy ex-​girlfriend. *5 minutes later* Ok, now what was I doing again? Beer… line…ugh, finally got my beer… let’s go check out the booths.
Real estate and sunglasses… so I can shade my eyes as I buy a house from you. Oh wait, there’s one cool booth! Thanks Fascinations for the free lube and gift card:)
Not the whole deal, but you get my gist.

Last year for Pride I just attended the parade and none of the festivities at Steel Indian School Park and relative to last years parade, I have to say that 2011 didn’t seem to have the color or pizzaz. But it was still entertaining none the less.
This year I did go to the park. A group of 8 of us, after getting some food and a lil’ boozy at Hula’s light railed over to the festivities. $ 20 to get in was a bit pricey for what was offered inside. Ok, so once inside you could buy $ 5 drink tickets for beer or cocktails. That was a bit of a bonus. The erotic art area was a bit lame. But some of the performers on the 2 different stages were entertaining enough. Not to mention the drama or people watching in general.
Mostly I give props to the volunteers, participants and organizers of all this.

Phoenix Pride is such an eclectic experience. Was this the prettiest Pride around? No! Can Phoenix Pride be super fun though? Yes! I have had two different experiences here. In 2010, I consumed some 6 or so drinks. This combined with the dehydrating heat made me a little sloppy, so I don’t remember any of the less than pleasant aspects of this Pride Festival. In 2011, I was sober the whole time and thus, here are my recollections. Tips: Buy a ticket beforehand. There will be a long line to buy one there and you will pay 5 bucks more. Make sure you have cash. Once you wait to get in (you still wait if you have pre-​purchased a ticket), you will need to wait in another line to get an ID badge that says you are 21. Then you can wait again to buy drink tickets (5 bucks each… a pretty solid deal) and THEN you can wait in another line to actually get your drink. This place has more lines than Disney World. Some of the booths were interesting. Unilocal even had a booth manned by the most stereotypical lesbian I have seen in a while. Was she hired out for the event? (I remember Progressive did this last year). Back to the event. The dance pavilion was once again filled with the twinkeist of twinks groove shaking while the real hotties trotted around in packs showing off their marble cut physiques while big sunglasses hid their butta faces. The various flocks of lesbians clustered around the food booths. Phoenix Pride is full of extensive people watching potential, but the eye candy was few and far between. I guess that’s why it is so crucial to be smashed.

This was my first Phoenix Pride. I had attended a smaller Flagstaff Pride a few years ago.
My first impression on Saturday was that the crowd was not indicative of the gay community I am familiar with. I have family and dear friends who are gay and NONE of them wear speedos in public, duct tape pasties in the open air, or leathers and S&M gear in the hot summer sun. There was a mass of freaks at this event and while I do love me a good freak show, I was a little disappointed in the underaged, drunken, fool-​hardy boneheads that came out in droves on Saturday.
Sunday was MUCH more enjoyable and I cant imagine the undertaking festival organizers must assume to put this event on!
STRONG SUITS:
Maps, friendly volunteers, food, booze, loads of variety entertainment, shade tents, Shiny Toy Guns, Lynda Carter, people treating one another with kindness and respect, police on hand to keep it safe, the sunsets, the Janet Jackson group, Darg Queens (wish they were friendlier– some of em are so snubby!).
DETRACTORS some of which are out of anyone’s control:
The heat, THE DUST!!!, drunk kids acting like idiots, the distance to walk from any parking to main gate, the lack of signage to show you where to go to get from one point to another, practically having to perform a high wire act with an elephant on your head just to get a beer, stopping beer sales while Shiny Toy Guns is on stage, the sound quality in Erotic World, the portapotties being disgusting and out of soap and water, no lighting at/​near portapotties at night, only one entrance/​exit on a huuuuuge festival lot, the litter.
My party and I had a grand time and I am sure we will be back although $ 20 is steep but then again, I can only imagine the overhead on something like this.

Well organized, affordable, easy to navigate, great entertainment, and a multitude of fun activities. There was an impressive amount of diversity, when it came to entertainment — a tent with lesbian folk singers, the main stage which included TIFFANY… OMG OMG TIFFANY, 2 big huge dance tents with some impressive DJ’s, and much more. While the festival has all the features of a big city pride festival, it also had a bit of an intimate, smaller city feel. The beer prices were surprisingly awesome! $ 5 per drink, with a variety to choose from, including Widmer, and Landshark! Woo!

Well done! Such a fun weekend. So much to see and do, such great weather, so many great performances, well organized, lots of great volunteers, and a fun celebration of the diverse and dynamic gay community in Phoenix. (I even got to be in the parade!)
Phoenix Pride kicks off the summer months of pride festivals for me, and this was a great way to start.
2010 Phoenix Pride was a total success. Can’t wait for next year!

This year. I went to Pride. With my mom. My 74 year old, deliciously and overwhelmingly, unconditionally loving mom! Easily one of my favorite days I’ve ever spent with this saintly human. She was accompanied by her 60ish year old female cousin. Yep. They played lesbians! They thought they were the shit. And they were. While no tonguing occurred (thankfully, that would have been scarring), they did hold hands at one point and giggled.
I’ve attended LA, SF, Long Beach, San Diego and NYC Prides. I have a soft spot for our little desert Mayberry Pride. I wish the walk from 3^rd Ave and Indian School to the main gate wasn’t such a hike. I was exhausted by the time I reached the front gate. But a perfect reason to run straight (ha ha, I said straight) to the beer stand.
Beer was cold. Brats were hot. Bears were hairy. Twinks were rail ass thin. Lesbians in Wranglers. Port a potties were CLEAN but SO FREAKIN’ HOT!
Second best part next to being with mom and my man… NTUIT’s performance. If you haven’t seen this dynamo duo, you MUST get their CD! I am biased as I love them both. Oh. And I have a cameo on their last track, Celebrity Life…
Pride. Proud. Budding recording artist. And yep Gay as ever!

The success of the 2010 Parade and festival speaks volumes about the dedication and hard work of the officers, managers, and volunteers of Phoenix Pride. Being able to organize and run a festival of this magnitude was a herculean task, but they pulled it off beautifully and did a great job. Kudos!

Phoenix Pride has swollen in size and gets bigger every year. I first went in 2002, and most recently went in 2009. Typically most cities host Pride in June, though for obvious reasons Phoenix rings in the Pride season in early April. The selection in vendors and dining, and the volume of people attending grows every year. I got to Pride over an hour late (from the parade start time) and got to 3^rd Street to see a significant number of floats still on the parade route, meaning the opening parade is over an hour long. One downside is the entrance line. I would recommend purchasing tickets in advance, as you will avoid waiting behind all the other procrastinators to buy tickets, and waiting again to get into the main festival. The whole event used to be only on a Saturday, but has since expanded to the whole weekend. A good majority of Steele Indian Park is filled with party-​goers. I look forward to seeing it grow and develop more in the future, as Phoenix’ gay population, who like most everyone else here is a transplant from elsewhere, forms stronger bonds and a stronger sense of «community,» helping the city to coalesce into shared living space and culture.

I haven’t been to a Pride event for over 6 years the reason being, every bad choice that you slept with just so happens to be there. You know the walk of shame should only happen once, right?!
In any case, the event was a whole lot of fun. sort of like a giant gay bar with kids in strollers, LOL! Drinks were 5 bucks which was cool and there were plenty of friends to hang out with.
Very cool things, hats off to the organizers.
1. $ 5 bucks for drinks, awesome!
2. Diverse selection of things to eat. hehe.
3. Great entertainment
4. Overall size was great, far larger than 6 years ago
Of course I have a few complaints for the organizers.
1. If you’re going to ban «professional» camera equipment, you need to tell everyone that before hand, not at the gate after they’ve parked a mile away!
2. Need to hire a janitorial service to maintain the port-​a-​potties and hand washing stations. later in the afternoon there was no water and no soap, gross. What was even more disgusting were the bloody fucking tampons thrown on the floor of the potties. I know that’s not your fault, however someone constantly maintaining and cleaning the stalls would have been awesome!
3. Not enough shade. more hang out tents would have been awesome. even with sunblock I got roasted. the few shade trees that were there I felt like an Emperor Penguin, packed body to body, constantly rotating in and out of the shade with the attempt to stay cool rather than warm.
Kudos to the organizers and all of the sponsors, a job well done!

Honestly, I think the best part of Pride is the Parade, and that’s not just because I’m a cheap bitch. This year, it flowed very well. And there seemed to be a much smaller group of fag-​bashers this year. Humf! I packed a hammer and a staple gun for nothing, apparently.
As for the actual Festival, it was pretty solid. The musical talents were fierce. The various stages are awesome because they seem to have a flavor for most tastes. I especially liked Guyton Maurice.
Phoenix Pride keeps getting better every year. Soon, we may have an event that rivals some of the other major Prides.

Pride is just a time to get drunk and hang out with friends. It would be a waist of time and money if you went alone. I own a gblt pet business so it may be good for advertising one year. I mean pride is for glbt people so its nice to have a place to all hang out for a weekend. It’s nothing big. The parade is a different story! I would definitely recommend that!

Hell yeah! What is it? The Wednesday after? And I’m still recovering!
The parade was glittery gorgeous fun. Fun crowd, good groups at the festival. Plus, I won a big tube of fancy German lube!
I had a really good time, but it was mostly because of the people I was with, and that the last time I went was about 3 years ago. Three year intervals seem to work best for me, in order to prevent a bad case of been-​there-​done-​that.

On Sunday, I was debating whether I should give Gay Pride a review. When I noticed that no one else had, I decided it would be silly. Why that thought ever crossed my mind is beyond me and now I’m going to jump on a bandwagon.
The Big Gay Festival is exactly that. The Steele Indian School Park location ls large enough to accommodate the crowd, but a bit inaccessible and I prefer people watching at the far more intimate and tiny Rainbows Fest each October. This is the same reason I used to love working at the teeny tiny Pride in the Pines in Flagstaff every year.
This year I get to review from a «family friendly» perspective. Instead of running out with friends, volunteering to rip tickets for fours hours, and frolicking in the queerness for the rest of the day, I packed up the stroller, met my sister, and bought the kid a rainbow elephant from the first gay boy to flirt with her. Good groups, friendly folk, and a wonderfully amusing bubble machine.
I’m not always completely keen on these things, and I almost bailed ship. I’m glad I decided to give it a spin and will probably return next year as a volunteer.