A video from our time in Boston and New York City Pride 2019 the year of Stonewall 50th Anniversary.
Pride 2019 by YayYay24
Stonewall Riots Anniversary
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are widely considered to constitute the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United States.
The Month of Pride Is Around the Corner
We’re days away from this year’s pride month of June. The calendar is full and the days to our first parade/march of the season is nearing.
Here’s a list of our scheduled events:
Boston Pride June 8th
This is our first event of the season with 900 feet of The River of Pride Flag and the highly anticipated debut of The Unity Pride Flag. The new flag is made up of 274 flags that is 200 feet long. We’re looking forward to seeing it unfurled for the first time!
Pride Portland! June 15th
We’re happy to say this will be The River of Pride Flag’s 12th time in the Portland ME pride parade. We’re honored to have been requested and looking forward to seeing familiar marchers carrying the flag again this year!
New York City Pride June 30th
June marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time WorldPride is being hosted in the United States.
NYC Pride invites both flags to take part in the march. 1/4 mile of The River of Pride Flag will be participating along with The Unity Pride Flag.
NYC World Pride Closing Ceremony
Mark your calendars for June 30, 2019, as NYC Pride welcomes all to a final celebration of pride from 7-10pm in NYC’s iconic Times Square.
Be sure to reserve your green tier tickets here. They are FREE! Once you register, you will get one email with your confirmation and a separate email for each ticket you reserve. You MUST PRINT the tickets prior to arrival.
Thank you Wil W. for sharing this info with us!
Stonewall Riots
On June 27, 1970, the first gay and lesbian pride parade in the world was held Chicago followed by a march in New York City and a parade in Los Angeles on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Today such parades are held annually throughout the world.
Norwich Pride the People’s March
Norwich Pride March is the People’s March – anyone who shares their values can join in. Last year 2018 they unveiled our 150 foot flag for the first time. It was spectacular to watch people carry it through the city streets, as you can see from this amazing photo by Roo Pitt.
A Picture Worth 450 Feet
In the coming days leading up to June also known as Pride month for some, The River of Pride Flag will gain 450 feet to its overall expanse. The flags overall length will go from 900 feet long to 1/4 of a mile.
This undertaking is in response to the additional venues asking for the flag to take part in their celebration. The addition will come in the form of three new sections being connected by zippers added to the 5 previous. As in past years individual sections can be seen at different venues supporting the community.
2008 was the last time The River of Pride had seen an increased. At the time 600 feet was added bringing the flag to 900 feet.
Be Seen, Be Heard & Be Proud!!
Share Your Pride with Everyone!!
Would you like to show your pride by marching in the largest Pride Marching in the country. The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag have been invited to WorldPride held in New York City on June 30th for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.
Whether it’ll be your 1st time marching or your 50th, it’ll be historical for us all.
To connect with others that are going you can join the Facebook group WorldPride NYC 2019. Signing up to march is easy, click the signup form and enter your info.
We’ll see you in New York City!!
Madonna rings in 2019 with surprise appearance at Stonewall Inn
The Queen of Pop was recently named an ambassador of the iconic LGBTQ venue
Madonna rang in 2019 with a surprise appearance at Stonewall Inn, the iconic LGBTQ venue in Greenwich Village, New York.
The Queen of Pop was recently named an ambassador of Stonewall and her New Year’s appearance kicked off a series of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In a short speech, Madonna reflected on the anniversary of the gay liberation movement, saying: “I stand here proudly at the place where pride began, the legendary Stonewall Inn, on the birth of a new year. We come together tonight to celebrate 50 years of revolution, 50 years of freedom fighting, 50 years of blood, sweat, and tears. 50 years of sacrifice, 50 years of standing up to discrimination, hatred, and indifference. Let us never forget the Stonewall riots and those who bravely stood up and said enough.”
At the conclusion of her remarks, she led the crowd in singing Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as well as her own seminal hit “Like A Prayer”. See fan-shot footage below.
Be Part of History NYC Pride 2019
A follow up to the Dec 4th announcement
The River of Pride Flag and The Unity Pride Flag have been invited by NYC Pride to be a part of a historical moment in time. This June 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time in our history that WorldPride will be hosted by the USA all to take part in this celebration.
Describing the feeling of an invitation to be a part of history, a once in a lifetime event with WorldPride, Stonewall 50th and NYC Pride altogether is more than an immense honor. One we are proud to share with everyone!
A community coming together
After announcing our participation in NYC Pride we received an outpour of support and people looking to volunteers to march. The River of Pride Flag is looking for around 600 people to walk with it and The Unity Pride Flag will need around 100. If you’d like to join us in NYC for the march please signup here by filling out the form asking for your email and name. This info is a requirement for NYC in order to be let into the march and with take less than a minute. This info will be shared with the NYC police for safety reasons.
Stay informed by joining the WorldPride NYC 2019 Facebook Group. A hotel & bus package is being worked on by a friend of the flag and will be posted in the group when ready. It’s NYC so don’t hesitate as the first hotel we reserved for our group sold out in less then four hours. People have been having good luck with AirBnB as well.
Thinking about your NYC travel plans
On average 2 million spectators attend the march in NYC for Pride with 46 thousand people marching. This coming pride they are expecting 5 to 6 million spectators. What that means for people getting in and out of the city is a lot of traffic.
If you’ll be driving, try to give yourself extra time getting there. Some have said to expect up to 4 hours of added traffic. Peak travel will be Saturday and Sunday so if possible you may want to add on a day either side of those for an easier trip.
Have you thought about your stay yet? The hotel rooms in the city will soon be filling up before you know it if they haven’t started already started so you’ll want to get your room very soon. If you’re driving the same goes for parking. Many parking garages now offer online reservations so you know a spot will be ready for you when you arrive.
Contact us at info@theriverofpride.com
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