Guide To Baltimore Pride 2017 This Weekend

BALTIMORE, MD — Organizers anticipate approximately 30,000 people will attend this weekend's Baltimore Pride festivities, a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture. The theme of the 2017 festivities is "Pride Unleashed."

GLCCB and Baltimore Pride President Jabari M. Lyles explained the theme in a letter to the community.

"In Baltimore, our celebration transcends the parties, parades and performances," Lyles wrote. "In Baltimore, our Pride is a celebration of survival. We celebrate that, in spite of injustice, corruption, hatred or apathy, we continue to exist, we continue to grow, we continue to mobilize, we continue to love one another and we continue to love ourselves."

The Baltimore Pride parade and block party are set for Saturday at Charles North, while the festival will take place Sunday at Druid Hill Park.

Here is a rundown of some of the activities. Get the full list of Pride events.

Friday: Before Saturday's official launch, pre-game with Pride at an Open Mic & Poetry Slam featuring eight LGBTQ poets. Open mic artists get up to five minutes to perform, and there are $300 in prizes available. The slam/open mic is an official Pride event. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 16, at The Impact Hub, 10 East North Avenue, Baltimore.

Saturday: The 2017 Pride Parade is from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, on Mount Royal Avenue and Cathedral Street, Baltimore. Check out the list of parade participants.

There will also be a High Heel Race (1:30-1:45 p.m.), Block Party (4-10 p.m.), IDOLS VS ICONS Burl-eoke! (7-10:45 p.m.) and Offical Pride Women After party (8 p.m.-2 a.m.).

Sunday: The 2017 Baltimore Pride festival will be held in Druid Hill Park between Swann Drive and the Sundial Pavilion. See the list of performers. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, at Druid Hill Park, 900 Druid Park Lake Drive, Baltimore.

Photo with article by Ted Eytan via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons ShareAlike 2.0.