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It is with great honor and Pride that the members of the NorthalstedBusiness Association (NBA) and those of us at BOI Magazine (the publisher of this Pride Fest Guide) extend a hearty welcome to all of you attending the 8th Annual Chicago Pride Fest, an event that has become a significant part of the city’s 2010 GLBT Pride events and activities. On this 41st anniversary of the Stonewall Riots  the 1969 event in New York City that marked the start of the gay civil rights movement  we look forward to joining you in the various festivities that will demonstrate to the city, and to the world, our collective pride as a GLBT community.

Pride Fest has grown from being “the little party that could” into a 2-day event on the northern end of Halsted Street in the Lakeview neighborhood (between Grace and Addison Streets). As you walk around this year’s Pride Fest, we encourage you to use the Guide and refer to it often. It contains information about the various Pride Fest Vendors, a map to help you navigate around the festival area, and details about the exciting entertainment that’s on tap.

As Pride Fest is part of Chicago’s celebration of Pride, you will find plenty of information in the Guide about other Pride-related events in the city. The expanded Pride Planner lists many political, social and cultural events that are occurring in and around the city during June and into July as well a details about the 41st Annual Chicago Pride Parade,

Finally, as you read through the Pride Fest Guide, we hope you’ll take notice of the advertisers as well as the sponsors of Pride Fest and the businesses that make up NBA. They all have contributed to make Pride Fest a meaningful, vibrant, and joyful experience for those who attend, and in turn we encourage you to patronize their businesses during the weekend and beyond.

Once again, NBA and BOI Magazine welcome you all to the 2009 Chicago Pride Fest. We hope you have wonderful time!

About Pride Fest

It’s all about LGBT pride at Chicago Pride Fest! Slated to be held June 25-26, 2010 —immediately before Chicago’s iconic Pride Parade on June 27— this festive two-day event marks the first official party of summer.

Hosted by (and benefiting) the Northalsted Business Alliance, the same group behind the wildly popular Northalsted Market Days®, this equally crowd-pleasing gay and lesbian celebration of community pride showcases an eclectic lineup of arts and crafts, food and other vendors. It also features entertainment on two stages with one dedicated to some of Chicago’s fine performers in the gay community. For information on sponsorships, transit and vendors, visit chicagoevents.com.

PRIDE 2010

“One Heart, One World, One Pride”

This year’s international Pride Parade theme is, “One Heart, One World, One Pride.” While LGBT rights groups have existed for decades, the “modern day” gay movement is traced to June 28, 1969 when patrons of a New York City Greenwich Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, fought back during a raid by police. At that time, gay bar raids had become commonplace in cities throughout the country. That night, patrons of the bar battled the police, and street demonstrations continued for several days. During that week, gay liberation organizations were formed thus, giving birth to the modern day LGBT rights movement.

The Chicago 41st Annual Pride Parade is scheduled for Sunday June 27 at 12 Noon stepping off from the Halsted/Belmont corner. It will then proceed north on Halsted to Broadway; then south on Broadway to Diversey; then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. Each year, Parade entrants, as well as groups sponsoring Pride Month events, have the option of using an international theme, or using a theme or slogan of their own choice.

The Grand Marshal of this year’s Pride Parade is Chely Wright, popular country singer/songwriter who recently came out. She has appeared on the Today show, Oprah, Ellen and in “People Magazine” describing the painful process of growing up in a small town knowing that she was gay. Chely just released her new album, “Lifted Off the Ground” and her memoir, “Like Me” that describes her painful coming out process dealing with religious issues, among others. Chely is now working with several organizations including GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) that works to ensure safe schools for all students and Faith in America, an organization whose mission is to educate the public about harm caused to gay Americans when certain church teachings are misused to justify and promote hostile attitudes and actions toward LGBT Americans. The day before the Parade, there is a scheduled “Performance & CD/Book Signing” with Chely Wright at Borders in East Lakeview at 4 PM. The next day, she will be riding in a classic car near the front of the Parade.

Every year, Pride is commemorated and celebrated around the world in many different ways. Events include Parades, marches, workshops, street fests, choral concerts, athletic events, etc. The bottom line is that these events bring together millions of people worldwide.

Chicago commemorates and celebrates Pride with close to one hundred different events during June Pride Month. It culminates with the annual Parade, coordinated by the PRIDEChicago group, which draws up to 450,000 people.

Capping off Parade day for the seventh year in a row, ABC 7 Chicago is planning to tape the Parade for a one-hour recap to be aired on the night of the Parade, Sunday June 27. Check local television listings or ABC7Chicago.com for air time.

Regardless of how an individual wants to commemorate and celebrate Pride, there is an event or function that can fit the needs of most people. For more Chicago Pride Parade and June Pride Month Calendar listings go to PRIDEChicago’s web site ChicagoPrideCalendar.org or phone: 773.348.8243.

Welcome to Pridefest