Ohio Valley Pride Festival Is This Weekend in Wheeling – Wheeling Intelligencer
File Photo – People carry a colorful banner during a past Ohio Valley Pride March in Wheeling. This year’s Ohio Valley Pride Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday at Heritage Port.
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WHEELING – The Ohio Valley Pride Festival – an event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community – is slated for Saturday and Sunday in Wheeling.
The annual festival features a Pride March, drag shows, food vendors, live music and more at Heritage Port.
The festival opens at noon Saturday and closes at 10 p.m. On Sunday it opens at noon and ends at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, the opening ceremony is set for 12:45 p.m. followed by the Pride March at 1 p.m. in the streets of downtown Wheeling.
Drag shows are slated for 3 and 5 p.m. At 8 p.m. the stage will be open.
On Sunday, drag shows are set for 1 and 4 p.m. The open stage begins at 2:30 p.m.
The festival is organized annually by Ohio Valley Pride, a local nonprofit that “exists to educate, communicate, and help protect LGBTQ+ persons from oppression, ridicule and abuse,” according to the group’s social media page.
Jack Carbasho, festival organizer and president of the Ohio Valley Pride, said he is hoping for good attendance this year now that the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be waning.
“It’s going to be a traditional type of year. … We’re hoping for a bigger crowd. It’s hard to determine,” he said. “I think COVID has stepped away for the most part so we can have a bigger crowd.”
Carbasho said the goal of the festival is to foster awareness and acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“It’s about spreading awareness and acceptance and letting people be who they want to be,” he said. “One of the joys of putting this together is so people can be themselves and be fine with it. There is not anyone there judging them.”
Carbasho noted during the open stage times festival-goers are free to perform on the stage as they see fit. They can do their own drag show, play instruments, sing or show off another talent.
He noted the weather forecast also is looking positive, which is a plus for attendees.