The Phoenix Pride Festival this year will be a big one, showcasing an array of performances and events and opportunities galore.
And all that organizational effort to put together the Valley’s largest celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is run by four people.
Phoenix Pride is an organization that hosts year-round events that aim to celebrate the LGBTQ+ experience and elevate queer voices, but it only has four full-time staffers. This year’s big fall festivities — the Pride Festival and the Pride Parade — are set to feature more than 150 performances, a nonstop VIP experience, brand-new accommodations and more.
The event runs 2-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, and noon-9 p.m. Oct. 20 at Steele Indian School Park, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. Sunday at Third Street and Thomas.
To get the help they need, the four staffers employ hundreds of contractors and outside organizations, with a volunteer board of directors and hundreds more volunteers on tap.
Jeremy Helfgot, Principal of J.M. Helfgot Communications and affiliated with Phoenix Pride, gave some insight into why Phoenix Pride works year-round to prepare for the mid-October festivities.