10th Annual 2023 Columbus Georgia LGBTQ+ Pride Festival
The 10th Annual Columbus Georgia LGBTQ+ Pride Festival
June 3rd 2023 9a to 10p on Broadway Uptown Columbus Georgia
Every year we continue to grow and build a bigger, better and bolder Pride festival. 2022 was our largest Pride event ever to date. Over 5800 people from all over the country including Hawaii came to Columbus Georgia to attend. 2022 was also our largest year ever of sponsors with over 115 individuals, organizations and businesses who joined our team to ensure Pride Festival was a triumphant success. And just in case you were wondering The Columbus Georgia Pride Festival of 2022 brought in $128k in revenue for our city. Every year we have seen growth and progress take place, dreams come true, lives changed forever and more importantly people being bold and brave and coming out and being themselves. 2023 WILL BE OUR GREATEST YEAR EVER as we celebrate our 10th anniversary of operations here in Columbus Georgia. Over the past ten years we have seen so much take place. Some Good and some bad, but through it all we stand together united and working hard to ensure Columbus Georgia becomes one of the most diverse and accepting cities in America. We are proud of all our accomplishments and groundbreaking programs that we have started and still are going strong today.
SCHEDULE:
9am SETUP FOR VENDORS/SPONSORS and BROWSING TIME FOR PATRONS along with MARKET DAYS
10:30 am NATIONAL ANTHEM W/ SH’Moka Sage AND OPENING PRAYER with Pastor Colley Williams and Michelle Amaro
10:35 am WELCOME FROM COLGAY PRIDE FOUNDER & DIRECTOR Jeremy S Hobbs
10:40 – 11 am The Community Speaks
City Councilor District 7 Joanna Cogle Welcome and Message
11 am GREETINGS FROM THE MAYOR OF COLUMBUS GEORGIA – MAYOR SKIP HENDERSON
OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION READING for JUNE 2023 COLUMBUS GEORGIA LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH
OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION READING for COLGAY PRIDE DAY 10TH ANNIVERSARY
OFFICIAL AWARDS CEREMONY & T SHIRT DESIGN WINNER with Jeremy Hobbs
11:10 am MUSIC BY LOCAL ARTIST Sh’Moka Sage
11:15 am HONORING OUR FALLEN HIV / AIDS MEMORIAL TAPS
11:20 am SAMMY KANZO COLUMBUS WELLNESS CENTER (TUES NIGHT ZOOM HIV SUPPORT GROUPS)
11:30 am BRIDGING THE FAITH GAP – PASTOR COLLEY WILLIAMS, MICHELLE AMARO, REV EM BELL
MUSIC AND NETWORKING GET ACQUAINTED
1 pm MEET THE COMMUNITY SPONSORS & VENDOR’S
2 pm Music Performance with Jeremy King
2:30 pm Music Performance with Shmoka Sage
3:00 pm OFFICIAL PHOTO OF PRIDE 2023 (EVERYONE GET IN THE PICTURE)
3:30 pm ASSEMBLE FOR THE PRIDE PARADE (9th & First Avenue)
4 pm 2023 PRIDE PARADE
5 pm BREAK & DINNER
6 pm EARLY SHOW WITH LOCAL ARTIST
6:45 pm Jeremiah King Performance
7 pm PRIDE 2023 NIGHT SHOW DANCE CONTESTS MUSIC & DANCING
8:00 pm OFFICIAL PRIDE 2023 DRAG SHOW
8:45 pm FIRST BREAK & FIRE DANCERS
9:00 pm FINAL PERFORMANCES & DRAG SHOW
10 pm END
PRIDE 2023 THEME:
“TOGETHER WE RISE”: 2023 10th Anniversary Columbus Georgia LGBTQ+ Pride Theme
Calling all artists and graphic designers and visionaries. It’s your Pride so You create the Official Design for this year’s theme for Pride 2023.
Why did we choose “TOGETHER WE RISE”?
For the past two years we have seen an increase in violence against LGBTQ+ citizens, new discriminatory laws passed to create ignorance around the LGBTQ+ subject itself with laws “DON’T SAY GAY” in the classroom or If a teacher tries to discuss or teach Gender Identity that they will have their license taken from them. Laws like in Alabama where trans youth are now being told they cannot have access to Hormone Therapy Drugs to prevent the effects of Puberty which can be a very traumatic time for trans youth. OR even worse a Supreme Court who just made Marriage Equality legal now can’t wait to take it back and even worse telling a responsible adult they cannot terminate their pregnancy if they so choose. Or where kids are learning about Diversity, Acceptance, anti-bullying, people who have no stake at all in the conversation show up and wreak havoc and hell upon everyone and terrorize those in attendance. What we are faced with today is the echoes of past who want so badly to return to what they envision as a better America. Queers in the closet or better yet dead. Women in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant with a smile on their face, Blacks in the back of the line not making eye contact. We are facing something that is the end of an era, and NO unfortunately they will not go quiet into the night, they want yesterday back, and they are willing to do anything it takes to get us back there.
That is why we chose this year’s theme because it is time for all of us sane minded people to stand up against this oppression, speak out and march forward and the most important of everything on this To Do list is WORK TOGETHER. Many people still listen to Preachers and whomever demonize the LGBTQ community but fail to remember the GOLDEN FINAL COMMANDMENT to LOVE ONE ANOTHER! We must stand up for each other and no longer hide behind the excuse of “It’s Not My fight” The only way we will stamp out this oppression on all the fronts of evil with racism, sexism, homophobia, intolerance, indifference, radicalism, simply downright Hate; is by coming together, working together putting aside indifference and remembering that we are all human, only them shall we rise and RISE ABOVE the INSANITY.
