Montclair Pride Festival Will Return This Weekend: What To Expect

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Out Montclair will present its fifth annual Montclair Pride festival this weekend, an event that organizers are calling a "celebration of visibility, courage, authenticity and belonging."

After being postponed twice, the free LGBTQ pride festival will hit the stage on Sunday, Oct. 11 – which coincides with National Coming Out Day. Learn more here.

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The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the Equality in Motion March, which will gather at the Montclair Public Library and proceed along Bloomfield Avenue to Lackawanna Station.

The Montclair Pride festival will follow from noon to 5 p.m. at Lackawanna Station. This year's event will include live entertainment, music, community organizations, vendors, food, drinks and a family zone with activities for all ages.

Actor, model, author and LGBTQIA+ advocate Dominique Jackson will return as a special guest and co-host. Best known for her role as Elektra Abundance on FX's "Pose," Jackson has also appeared in STARZ's "American Gods." She will co-host alongside drag performer and advocate Harmonica Sunbeam, singer and longtime Pride host Eddie Nicholas, and Broadway performer and vocalist Brandi Massey.

Vocalist Jada Valenciaga will headline the festival, with an entertainment lineup featuring live music, drag, theater and celebration throughout the afternoon.

"While Montclair Pride remains free and open to the community, producing a large-scale public celebration requires significant resources," organizers said.

Event organizers have postponed the festival twice this year amid funding challenges. Donations can be made online here to keep the festival going.

"There is something especially meaningful about beginning National Coming Out Day by coming together and moving through our community," said Reubena Spence, president and co-founder of Out Montclair, Inc.

"Whether you come out as yourself, as a family, as a friend or as an ally, this is a day about showing up for one another," Spence said.

"Leadership means building bridges across our state and recognizing that none of us can do this work alone," said Brielle Winslow-Majette, executive director of Garden State Equality.

"I'm proud to stand alongside the leaders at Out Montclair as we continue building a stronger, more unified movement," Winslow-Majette said.

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