MUSKEGON, Mich. — The first ever Muskegon Pride Festival happened Saturday. Downtown was filled with entertainment, vendors and most importantly: inclusivity for all.
"It's so important for all this, to accept this and bring it here because it's only going to build the city. And, you know, bring in funds and help everything grow. Nobody wants to go into an outdated, you know, area where you're not felt welcome or to be your true self. And now, you know, as the times change, everybody's getting more comfortable in their own skin, which is fabulous and about time," said Jeffrey Pienela, president of Muskegon Pride.
The Muskegon Pride Center worked with the city and businesses to put the first ever Muskegon Pride Festival together. Pienela says the weekend was a long time coming.
"So, from the roundabout down on Western from the roundabout to Jefferson, there's going to be 80 vendors. So, it's huge, huge, huge, huge. And then we're performing in the sandbox, or the social sandbox," said Pienela.
Pienela continued, "we have drag queen Story Hour, which is where, you know, this is family friendly. So, drag queens just read like from a child's LGBTQ book."
Big name acts headed to the lakeshore like Deja Skye from Ru Paul's Drag Race. Mayor Ken Johnson spoke and local performers took the stage.
Extra patrols from Muskegon Police helped keep the streets safe. From food, to art, activities, and shopping, even something called "Free Mom Hugs."
"That's where, you know, if a child or person doesn't have support at home, or from their family, they can come and they can get a hug. You know, until that they're special and beautiful and important. So that's really important. That's going to be there. We've got probably 30 moms at this point, which is awesome," said Pienela.
Pienela continued, "It's going to be a game changer for a lot of people. And I think that it's about time."
Muskegon Pride ran from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 4, and was free and open to all. Unruly Brewing held the after party from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
