Festivities return to downtown Belleville’s Public Square this weekend as Metro East Pride Fest returns Saturday for an 18th year to celebrate love, community and pride with the LGBTQIA+ community.
The event takes place from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. and will include vendors around the square and up East Main Street to the Pride Stage at Jackson Street.
The event will also have food and beverage vendors, a food court, a teen/kids zone and a day full of events and entertainment featuring high heel drag races, live music and the Metro East Pride Royalty Drag Show as the finale.
Entertainment Schedule:
- 11 a.m. — Jess Messersmith – National Anthem, Main Stage
- 11:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. — NoCo Incidents (Band), Main Stage
- 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — DJ Party with The Kantina, Pride Stage
- 12:30-2 p.m. — Kings on Main, Pride Stage
- 1:30-2 p.m. — Main Street Merchants High Heel Drag Race, Main Stage
- 2-5 p.m. — Silly Sally – A Tribute to the ‘90s, Pride Stage
- 3-3:15 p.m. — Community Awards and Board Presentation, Main Stage
- 3:15-4 p.m. — MEPSI Karaoke Winner and DJ, Main Stage
- 4-8 p.m. — Bad Habit STL (Headline Band), Main Stage
- 5-6 p.m. — DJ Party with The Kantina, Pride Stage
- 5:30 p.m. — Special Drag Performance, Main Stage
- 6:30 p.m. — Community High Heel Drag Race Emceed by Dieta Pepsi, Main Stage
- 7:45 p.m. — Special Drag Performance w/ Bad Habit STL, Main Stage
- 8-10 p.m. — Metro East Pride Royalty Drag Show, Main Stage
Food vendors include:
- Brazil’s Family Restaurant
- Creek Bro’s Lemonade
- Dizon’s
- Finger Lickin Lumpia
- Grandmas Kitchen Food Truck
- Kona Ice of Clinton Co.
- Mi Hungry BBQ & Jamaican Cuisine
- RedApron
- Soul Burgers and Shakes
- Takozz
- Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Clinton
- Whirligigs O’Fallon
Belleville’s first Metro East Pride Fest event — PrideFest: Celebrating Diversity and Equality — was held June 21, 2008, on 2nd and West Main streets…