Pride in the Park - Review

What a great weekend to be part of the Chicago LGBTQ+ community: I was lucky enough to be able to experience this year’s Pride in the Park festival and it did not disappoint. The combination of music, dancing, drag, drinks, and so, so many food trucks and vendor booths made me want this two day party to never end. The location, Butler Field, provided the perfect city skyline as a backdrop to the festivities. Seeing the rainbows lit up on the buildings encircling us made me feel appreciated and at home in this city.

Day one started out rainy, but everyone was dedicated to celebrating. Surrounded by glittering, beautiful, rainbow-clad babes, I enjoyed several DJ sets and had the privilege of seeing Terence, The Second dance and Monét X Change perform. After some more booth visits I wandered over to the street lined with food trucks and picked up a snack before The Chainsmokers were set to perform. People flocked to the main stage area as night started creeping in. The Chainsmokers started out strong and kept the upbeat crowd happy throughout their set.

On day two I headed over to the festival after the Pride Parade. I was already excited because I knew some of my favorite people were performing. Shea Coulée was an absolute powerhouse goddess. She never misses and I was so excited to finally see her perform live. Rebecca Black had a set and it was so nice to see her in her element (and even nicer knowing she has been welcomed into the community since coming out in April 2020). Alesso performing on the main stage was the perfect way to end an exhilarating and delightful Pride weekend.