Organizers estimate 4,000 people turned out for the first-ever Pride festival in a small Michigan city to enjoy the celebration's drag show, dance party and vendor-filled streets.
Grand Haven mayor, Catherine McNally, gives opening remarks at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium in Grand Haven, Mich., on Saturday, June 10, 2023. The festival which organizers had hoped would attract at least 500 attendees drew thousands of people from all over who came to experience the first-time event's drag show, dance party and vendor-filled streets.
In January, a conservative Christian group known as Ottawa Impact claimed a majority on Ottawa County’s board of commissioners and made several controversial decisions, including immediately closing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department. The board also decided against sending funds to support the county’s largest Pride festival, in Holland, even though it had sponsored the event for two years.
In April, the City Council unanimously approved the plan for a Pride festival at the waterfront stadium in downtown Grand Haven, despite the local opposition. Over the next two months, the festival nearly doubled its fundraising goal, and the number of vendors had to be capped after they tripled that target. Over 100 people signed up to volunteer.
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