Author: mhgoodnow

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How to Best Enjoy Pride

We are so excited to bring you the 2023 Kitsap Pride event at Gordon Fields (part of the Kitsap County Fairgrounds) in Bremerton, WA on Saturday, July 22 from 2 PM to 9 PM.

But first, on Friday Night we are opening the bar at 8:00 pm for a pre-FUNK party. Come join us for a summer evening of fun and frolic. 21+ NO COVER.

OK, back to Saturday – We have a great lineup on our Pride Stage including a bevy of local performers.

2:00 Welcome & Purple Passion Swing Band
3:15 local singer-songwriter ILA,
4:00 Satonya, Tristan Relentless, Alexxus Carr, Sacred Heart, Victoria Joy, Clara Voyance, Alexander AllaSTAR, & Hannah St. James
5:30 DJ Woodrow Low (presented by C89.5fm)
7:00 BeautyBoiz
8:30 CarLarans

We have 100 Vendors, a Food, and a Bar area. Bring a blanket or camp chairs. Charis will be allowed on the back half of the Pride Lawn. We have some cute blankets for sale at the Kitsap Pride store. Bring a water bottle and use our refill station. We have expanded the lawn and the food area. No tents, canopies, or umbrellas are permitted. We love dogs but with the crowds, we think they may be happier at home. No Smoking is allowed in the festival area.

We have a TEEN SPACE and KIDS ZONE each hosted by Kitsap Regional Library and the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound.

Parking is available throughout the fairgrounds complex. There are other events happening at the fairgrounds. We are at Gordon Fields. It is the Westernmost part of the complex.

This year we wanted to honor the legacy of our neighbor and friend the late Patrick Haggerty. Lavender Country, led by singer and songwriter Patrick Haggerty, released what it widely considered the first openly gay country album in 1973. So join us for a Lavender Hoedown.

We have a great T-shirt and some stickers with our Y’all Means All design. Plus, we will have some of last year’s T’s that didn’t make it before the festival.

We have our 21+ (w/ID) bar sponsored by Tito’s Vodka and Silver City Brewery. We will have Frozen Tito Ritas and Frosé along with Tito’s cocktails and beer (including the Silver City Nice Day IPA Pride Edition can.

We also have expanded food offerings with an expanded layout with more room for food and watching the stage.

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2023 Kitsap Pride Poster & More

We are so excited to bring you the 2023 Kitsap Pride event at Gordon Fields (part of the Kitsap County Fairgrounds) in Bremerton, WA on Saturday, July 22 from 2 PM to 9 PM.

We have a great lineup on our Pride Stage. Kicking it off with the Purple Passion Swing Band, Local singer-songwriter ILA, 9 local drag Kings & Queens, DJ Woodrow Low (presented by C89.5fm), the BeautyBoiz, and wrapping up with CarLarans.

This year we wanted to honor the legacy of our neighbor and friend the late Patrick Haggerty. Lavender Country, led by singer and songwriter Patrick Haggerty, released what it widely considered the first openly gay country album in 1973. So join us for a Lavender Hoedown.

We have a great T-shirt and some stickers with our Y’all Means All logo. Plus, we will have some of last year’s T’s that didn’t make it before the festival.

We have our 21+ (w/ID) bar sponsored by Tito’s Vodka and Silver City Brewery. We will have Frozen Tito Ritas and Frosé along with cocktails and beer (including the Silver City Nice Day IPA Pride Edition can.

We also have expanded food offerings with an expanded layout with more room for food and watching the stage. Plus more vendors than ever!

Community partners have come together to create a Teen Space and a Kid Zone.

Thank you to our Major Sponsors ($2,000+)

Thank you to our Day Sponsors ($1,000+)

Media Partner

Community Partners

Thank you to our Community Sponsors ($500+)

Special Thanks

We couldn’t do it without the volunteers and sponsors who make this happen. This is our 27th year and support just keeps growing. Thank you. On behalf of the Kitsap Pride Board of Directors. See you at Pride.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Visit our Volunteer page to find out more and click on the link to get signed up. It can be very rewarding to be a part of creating this community event. We can’t do it without our amazing volunteers.

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Performers Wanted

Kitsap Pride is looking for drag performers for the 2023 Pride Festival on Saturday, July 22nd at Gordon Field, part of the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, in Bremerton.

The local drag scene has really exploded in recent years. We are looking to showcase local performers and have added time to the schedule.

Use the link below to submit yourself for consideration before June 15th.

https://www.eventeny.com/events/applications/application/?id=1899

Please share this link.

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It’s Time for Pride!

This year’s International Pride theme is Silence to Solidarity. It got our board thinking about how music can help us fill the silence – In our souls and in a space. That brought us to the cassette tape image. We talked about making mix tapes. How music has helped fill space in the pandemic and how this is not our community’s first pandemic. It’s a crazy time for so many and we felt like this is a Remix. It’s familiar and different.

We mixed it up a bit this year and have Nite Wave closing out the stage – playing some great music from the 80s – our first pandemic. Much like the current resurgence of Kate Bush there is something both comforting and empowering. Music can bring us together.

We will start the festival off with a bang – a grand entrance from the Rainbow City Marching Band. We are so excited to have them back and see what they have in store for us. We will do an official welcome and opening to recognize the land and any dignitaries present. Up next will be DJ & Drag. Returning is DJ Dana Dub for dancing and good vibes on the pride lawn. We will also have Versace Doll and friends Melody Lush, Sable Jones St James, Drew Paradisco, Jessica Paradisco, Nemisis, Crystal Jewel Box, Kris Rose, & Sativa Queen.

After Dana finishes his set at 7:30 Nite Wave will take the stage.

Nite Wave @ The Crocodile 2.12.22, Photo by Amber Knecht
Nite Wave @ The Crocodile 2.12.22, Photo by Amber Knecht

The Boys & Girls Club and Kitsap Regional Library are co-hosting a Teen Pride Space with free snacks, books, crafts, games, and a place to hang & connect.

We have 70 vendors signed up including many food and snack options.

The Garden will be our 21+ area featuring Silver City Brewery beer with their Live Loud hard iced tea, Locust Cider from Gig Harbor, Eleven Winery from Bainbridge, and Tito’s Vodka frozen slushie drinks. We have significantly increased our capacity based on last year’s demand.

The Garden for those 21+
DJ Dana Dub
Becoming a Butterfly
Versace Doll on the Pride Stage

How to Enjoy Pride

This year there are other events happening at the fairgrounds so parking may be tighter. Gordon Field is at the most eastern part of the fairgrounds. You may have to park in a lot and walk over to our area. Our event on July 23 is from 4 to 9 pm – we plan to be ready early. Look for these signs.

You can bring a blanket or chairs for the lawn – no grills or outside alcohol. Bring a water bottle to refill – help us be more sustainable.

As our event has grown it is less suitable for even the most well-behaved dogs. Please consider leaving them at home.

We ask that you refrain from smoking or vaping in the festival area.

Volunteer – it’s not too late

Kitsap Pride is an all-volunteer organization, including our board, and we rely on many more volunteers to make the festival happen. It’s a fun way to participate and a great way for friends and allies to contribute. You can sign up as an individual or a group if you want to volunteer together. Write volunteers@kitsappride.org with any questions.
Click Here to Volunteer!

Sponsors

We could make Kitsap Pride happen (and keep it free) without our generous sponsors and donors. We are grateful and if you ever get a chance – thank them for us.
Puget Sound Energy | The Arc of the Peninsulas | Catalpa Clinic
Greater Kitsap Visitor Center | Coordinated Care | Scott Lynes & Brian CoulthardKitsap ACES | Kitsap Community Food Co-Op | Kitsap Mental Health Services
Kitsap Safe Schools Network | Melissa Wight Homes
Northwest Washington Family Medical Residency | Victor Thompson Farmers Agency
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Our 2022 Artist

Copper Foxes

Our artist this year is Sam (Copper Foxes) who is a panromantic asexual artist raised on Bainbridge Island. They have been designing products since 2017 to sell at local art booths. After graduating from Olympic College in 2019, they worked at a local print shop for nearly two years. At the same time, they worked on developing their art and design business on the side. Now they do freelance illustration, merchandise design, and graphic design full-time. They also run an Etsy shop and a Patreon with their designs and products. Stop by Sam’s booth this Saturday at Pride. @copperfoxes

Artwork by @copperfoxes
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American Idol Finalist Frenchie Davis to Perform at Kitsap Pride

Kitsap Pride’s week-long festivities include an LGBTQ+ film festival, Pride Party, and an expanded festival with community stage and beer garden

Kitsap Pride has announced that Frenchie Davis will headline their main stage! A Grammy nominated artist, Frenchie Davis became a household name as a finalist on “The Voice” and “American Idol.” She is also known for her work in on- and off-Broadway productions of Rent, Dreamgirls, and Ain’t Misbehavin’, among others.

Now in its 21st year, Kitsap Pride is scheduled for Saturday, July 15 in Bremerton’s Evergreen Park.

In addition to Davis, Kitsap Pride’s main stage will feature Purple Passion, a swing ensemble affiliated with the Rainbow City Marching Band; “Goddess of Electronic Psychedelic Soul” SassyBlack; and Guayaba, a Bremerton native and one of Seattle’s top queer artists.

For the first time, Kitsap Pride will host a second, community stage featuring performers predominantly from Kitsap County, including Queerly Beloved and their brand of gender-variety entertainment.

Also coming to this year’s Kitsap Pride: a new layout for the festival in Evergreen Park, which will include a beer garden in the closed street in view of the main stage.

Kitsap Pride will be the grand finale to a week’s worth of festivities, which include the popular Pride Party on Friday, July 14 beginning at 9 p.m. in the Fountain Room of the Bremerton Harborside. This year’s theme is “Black & White” with performances by Amora Dior Black and Sabrina White. Tickets are $10 

On July 8 & 9, Kitsap Pride is also bringing TWIST Tops: Best Films from the Seattle Queer Festival to Bainbridge Cinemas on Bainbridge Island.  

Presented in partnership with Three Dollar Bill Cinema, this is the first time this celebrated LGBTQ+ film festival has come to Kitsap County. The line-up will include:

    • Play the Devil, a simmering, unconventional thriller set in the lush hills of Trinidad.
    • Real Boy, an acclaimed documentary about transgender teen and aspiring musician, Bennett Wallace.
    • Suicide Kale, a mostly improvised comedy starring Brittani Nichols (Transparent) and Jasika Nicole (TV’s Fringe, Scandal).
    • Check It, a documentary about a group of transgender and gay survivors who find their way out of poverty in the world of fashion.
    • Best Shorts Festival, featuring the greatest audience and jury award-winning short films, including Folsom Street, These C*cksucking Tears, and Vamanos, among others.

Visit https://kitsappride.org/twist-tops-film-festival/ for more information and ticketing info, including a special package featuring Sunday morning Mimosas Before the Movies!

Sponsors of Kitsap Pride 2017 include the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Suquamish Tribe, Kaiser Permanente, Kitsap Safe Schools, Destination 420, and Starbucks.
Kitsap Pride unites, celebrates, and supports the LGBTQ+ community in Kitsap County.