Live music, food trucks, festivities: Here’s your guide to Jackson’s 2022 PrideFest – MLive.com
JACKSON, MI – It’s almost time for Jackson’s annual PrideFest, and organizers gearing up for a day of food, fun, pride and festivities.
The day-long event is scheduled for 3:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, in Horace Blackman Park in downtown Jackson. The first festival was put on by the Jackson Pride Center in 2018, and this is the first time the event has taken place in-person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s event is titled “We’re so Gay” PrideFest, Board Chair and Spokesperson Russ Desy said.
Related: Food trucks, bands and festivities are expected for Jackson’s 2022 Pride Festival
“That’s a response to some of the attacks we feel the community is under with the ‘Don’t Say Gay” laws like those in Florida,” Desy said. “So, not only is it OK to say gay, but we’re also so proud of it.”
Organizers are gearing up for a day of fun, including food trucks, vendors, live music and more.
Details:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 20
Time: 3:30 to 8 p.m.
Location: Horace Blackman Park, 212 W. Michigan Ave.
Cost: Free
March
The event kicks off with a march at 3:30 p.m., starting at Consumers Energy Plaza, 1 Energy Plaza. Attendees will march down W. Michigan Avenue toward Horace Blackman Park, where the rest of the day’s events will take place.
People looking to march are asked to show up around 3:15 p.m., Desy said.
Entertainment
Live music and vendors are participating in this year’s event.
Music kicks off at the park at 4 p.m. People can expect to hear music from Rolling Hills, Code Blue and Chey Halliwill, who is from Jackson.
Many local organizations and groups also will have booths and tables, including Unified Health, which is hosting a mobile HIV testing unit, Desy said.
The Jackson Pride Center will also have a booth with information on its organization. The event’s main sponsor, Henry Ford Health, will have a booth as well, he said.
Food
Participating food trucks include Craveable Food Trailer, JR’s Restaurant on Wheels, Junkyard Dog and Incarcerated Art’s Food Camper.
However, the event is in downtown Jackson, so those looking for more than food trucks can visit more than a dozen bars and restaurants to grab a bite, Desy said.
Afterglow
The event may end at 8 p.m., but the party won’t, Desy said. The Jackson Pride Center is providing wristbands at its booth for deals at local restaurants and bars downtown. Guests are encouraged to hang around the bars and restaurants after the event ends, he said.
“We want to support downtown businesses, and downtown has been very vibrant compared to two years ago. We want to continue that,” Desy said.
More from the Jackson Citizen Patriot:
$10M state loan will fund upgrades at Jackson’s wastewater treatment plant
Abandoned puppies rescued from dense Jackson County swamp after 3-day search
Tuning up learning skills for new school year is goal of East Jackson’s Camp Invention
Heydlauff’s, longtime family-owned Chelsea appliance store, changes hands
Sky needs a family that can go slow with her. Lilac is prettier than a flower