This weekend, around 500,000 people are expected to go out for Denver Pride, a range of events raising the LGBTQ + Rocky Mountain community – and this year’s parade will have both a new name and a new route.
“We are at the fourth largest in the country”, after New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco (and sometimes Atlanta), according to the new CEO of the Center on Colfax, Kim Salvaggio, 49, who started his job a month ago after working at Rocky Mountain Media.
The parade, as well as a festival and a 5 km race, are all produced by the Center on Colfax, a non -profit organization based in Denver with offices on Colfax Avenue, which provides free programs and services all year round for the LGBTQ +community.
The parade
The parade is now called “The Vizzy Denver Pride parade” and will perform Sunday at 9:30 am.
Why the new name?
Vizzy Hard Seltzer is an element of the Molson Coors brand, and “Molson Coors continues its partnership with Denver Pride through the Hard Seltzer Vizzy brand”, according to the Center, whose website also indicates that the brand has sponsored proud events across the country, giving more than $ 1.3 million to LGBTQ + companies and working de LGBTQ + and and community leaders, including the center on Colfax. Salvaggio refused to give the dollar amount of their sponsorship.
The route that the parade will take is different this year. The troubleshooting point of the parade will be from the 17th avenue and rue Franklin; The parade will then move along the 17th avenue to the end of the 17th avenue and rue Lincoln.
Kim Salvaggio
This change is due to the construction of the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project taking place along Colfax avenue.
“The joke that I told people,” said Salvaggio, “is that if you have been on Colfax recently, you know why there is a change.” The construction makes it difficult to walk this part of Colfax, the modified sidewalks and a lot of delays of driving as well.
The advantages of the new road, according to Salvaggio, are that “companies along the 17th” are really excited, and the 17th offer more shade too. “Salvaggio said that around 13,000 walkers and 250 participants – people who have a float or a group that meet – should participate.
The big marshals of this year’s parade are the transcontinental pipeline, a non -profit organization that helps trans people moving to Colorado and other states considered to be safer for trans and the colorado health network, serving more than 5,000 people living with HIV.
The other events: a 5 km race and a race
There is a 5 km race on Saturday morning, with recording from 8 a.m. and the race itself from 9:30 am. Its route, which does not change compared to that of last year, begins on Lincoln between Colfax and 14th, just west of the State Capitol. The race takes place in the 14th row of Cheesman Park and return, and around 4,000 people should participate.
The other main attraction is Denver Pridefest, which will take place on two days, in and around the Civic Center park. On Saturday, he will start at 11 and Sunday, he starts at 10.
There will be more than 250 exhibitors, 30 food sellers and live performance by Pattie Gonia, Detox, Vanessa Vanjie and Chika.
At Dance World, a component of the festival, there will be a different DJ every hour, and there will also be a “gayborhood market”, where, according to Salvaggio, there will be 90 companies compensated by Colorado, bricks and morters based in Colorado, and others with only an online presence. Salvaggio said that last year, this Marketplace event was so successful that they decided to enlarge it this time. “We have doubled this in size last year this year,” she said.
Some of this year’s sponsors for the event weekend include Denver 7, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Absolut, Pepsico, Southwest Airlines, Comcast, King Soopers and Kroger.
But who gave what amount was not information provided by Salvaggio, adding: “We are not at ease to publish the amounts in dollars and hundred for each sponsor.”
