North Shore Pride Parade and Festival

The fourth annual North Shore Pride Parade and Festival will take place Saturday, June 20, 2015, in Salem, MA. The theme of this year’s celebration, voted on by members of the community, is Standing Proud Together.

The parade kicks off at noon (registration begins at 10) in front of the Post Office on Margin St., turning right on Norman St. and heading down New Derby. It will continue to Derby St. and onto Hawthorne Boulevard where it will end up on Salem Common, where the Pride festival will follow!

There are lots of great spots to watch the parade all along the route - so if you’re not marching, be there to cheer everyone on and don’t miss a thing!

The Grand Marshal of the 2015 North Shore Pride Parade is OUTVETS, a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the contributions and sacrifices of LGBTQ Veterans, active service members, and their families.

The North Shore Pride Festival begins at 1pm on the Salem Common, with arts, crafts, educational and other vendors, kids activities, food, a beer tent and live entertainment.

This year’s entertainment lineup includes headliners XELLE (pronounced “XL”). XELLE’s original, high energy songs sound like a delicious mix of Katy Perry, ABBA and The Spice Girls.

Also in the lineup: Adrienne Mack Davis as part of her world tour, local favorites, The DeJas, Big Ol’ Dirty Bucket, Sarah & The Wild Versatile, Pocket Tanya, Jenn Lombari and Lucky United.

The official North Shore Pride after party takes place outside at Murphy’s Pub starting at 5pm.

New this year is a week long calendar of educational, cultural and community events leading up to the parade and festival, including:

Monday, June 15, 11:30 a.m. - Free public Lunch & Learn at The Cabot in Beverly: Making Our Cities and Towns More Welcoming for LGBT people. Panelists include: Mayor Kim Driscoll, City of Salem; Representative Paul Tucker, 7th Essex District; Paul Miller, One Gordon; Mason Dunn, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Sponsored by Montserrat College of Art. Lunch provided by Gulu Gulu/Flying Saucer of Salem.

Wednesday, June 17, 7 p.m. - North Shore Pride Movie Night at the Salem Theater. Presenting the documentary The Case Against 8, with a reception to follow. $5 donation at the door.

Thursday, June 18, 7:30 p.m. - North Shore Pride sponsors the June 18th performance of The Normal Heart at the Salem Theater. Tickets available through Salem Theater.

Friday, June 19, 7 p.m. - Interfaith Pride Service at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem. Participating clergy include: the Reverend Joseph Amico, the Reverend Tara Olsen-Allen, Rabbi Mark Newton, Father Silvestre Romero and Wiccan Priestess Helen Cymbala. A reception will follow the service.

Saturday, June 20, 12 p.m. - The fourth annual North Shore Pride Parade will kick off in front of the Salem Post Office on Margin Street, travel down Derby and New Derby Streets to Hawthorne Boulevard, ending at the Salem Common. This year’s parade Grand Marshal is OUTVETS.

Saturday, June 20, 1 p.m. - The fourth annual North Shore Pride Festival will run from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., with a full schedule of live music including headliners XELLE. Non-profit, community, business, food and arts and crafts vendors will once again be on hand. The full entertainment line up is available at www.northshorepride.org. The festival is free for all to attend and is a family friendly event.

Saturday, June 20, 5 p.m. - The official North Shore Pride After Party will take place outside at Murphy’s Pub on Derby Street in Salem, with entertainment from DJ Andrea. 21+, $5 suggested donation at the door.

For more information, visit www.northshorepride.org