It has been a crazy couple of years, and after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the VA Pride festival returns to Brown’s Island in Richmond, Virginia on September 24th, 2022. VA Pride brings more than forty thousand people from all over Virginia and neighboring states for entertainment, food, and vendors.

This year, VA Pride celebrated pride month in June by releasing an “Endless Summer of Pride” calendar with events meant to appeal to a range of attendees. Not holding the VA Pride event in June gives visitors the opportunity to attend neighboring Pride events throughout June while still enjoying VA Pride in September. Some of these “Summer of Pride” events had attendance in the hundreds, indicating the clear need for LGBTQI+- friendly events year-round.

Here’s a snapshot of events that occurred during the summer: building illuminations, Pride at the Market, Mondays at the Byrd, Pridos After Five, a Pride run, rainbow roller skating… the list goes on. 

So what can you expect at Pride this year? 

Food, Beverage, and Local Vendors

Local businesses and corporations that have a presence in Virginia come out and show their love for our community. There are lots of freebies to be collected, and in some cases, local goods and products to purchase. It’s a great way to support our local economy and identify our allies! 

Bring your appetite because you’ll see all kinds of food trucks and stands that are staples of our community. The same goes for beverages, with options ranging from local favorites like Belle Isle Moonshine to national ones like Tito’s Vodka. There is plenty to choose from. 

Entertainment

There will be drag performers, DJs, local celebrities, and a few headliners to get the crowd dancing. The main stage can get a bit raunchy, so there will be a second stage with performances and entertainment geared more toward families and kids. 

The headliners this year are:

Big Freedia 

Freddie Ross Jr., better known by his stage name Big Freedia, is an American rapper known for his work in the New Orleans hip-hop genre called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helping popularize the latter genre, which had been largely underground since developing in the early 1990s. (bigfreedia.com)

Rosé

Ross Matthew McCorkell (born 26 May 1989), better known by the stage name Rosé, is a Scottish-American drag queen and singer based in Manhattan, New York City. He is best known for competing on the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing as third/fourth runner-up alongside Gottmik. (wikipedia.com)

Leikeli47

Leikeli47 is an American rapper signed to RCA Records. In 2018, she released her second full-length album, Acrylic. She is known for concealing her face with a bandana or balaclava at all performances and professional appearances. (Rcarecords.com)

VA Pride owes much of its success to its dedicated volunteers. If you’d like to learn more about volunteering, the complete list of performers, or how to become a vendor, visit the vapride.org website.