Hilo Pride parade and festival on Saturday – Hawaii Tribune-Herald

For the 14th year, nonprofit Hawaii Island LGBTQ+ Pride will host a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community this Saturday in downtown Hilo, featuring a parade and festival.

The theme and slogan of this year’s festivities is “Strong Together, Proud Forever!” said HILGBTQ+ Vice President Phill Russell. He said the event’s planning committee chose the slogan to highlight the need to show resilience and strength amid the current political climate. The Trump administration has rolled back numerous protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“The LGBTQ+ community is facing a lot of challenges federally, and so it just becomes even more important for us to stand together,” Russell said. “We appreciate everyone in the community, all of our allies, everyone that steps up and helps uplift the LGBTQ+ community, calls out stigma and homophobia and transphobia when they see it, and looks out for our LGBTQ plus brothers and sisters here on the island.”

While he said the event has drawn some protesters in recent years, it is a small number compared to the 500 to 700 community members he estimates typically attend to celebrate and show support.

“Luckily, all the supporters in the love far outnumber the hate in the bigotry, so we’re able to kind of ignore that,” he said. “We are getting record-breaking crowds that increase every single year. Seeing all of the folks, the families — it’s very heartwarming.”

Russell said that he thinks having public events such as this one play a role in advancing LGBTQ+ rights and reducing hate and stigma.

“I feel like it’s important to keep Pride going, because the visibility matters … .,” he said. “It’s hard to hate someone for being gay when you generally like them, and you’re already friends with them, and you’ve been friends with them forever, or they’re your kid or they’re your auntie — so that kind of … breaks down those walls.”

While Pride events take place around the world throughout the month of June, Russell said the Hilo celebration is special, with a focus on being community-oriented and family-friendly.

“I’ve been told by so many people that come from other islands, from other events like, ‘wow, this is like the most wholesome, family-friendly Pride I’ve ever been to,” he said. “It’s that Hilo touch, that Big Island touch, that makes it what it is and all the people that come together to make it happen.”

This year’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. starting at Kamehameha Avenue and Ponahawai Street proceeding down Keawe Street, back to Kamehameha, and ending at the Mo‘oheau Bandstand, where the festival will kick off at noon.

The festivities will continue until 4:30 p.m., featuring drag and aerial arts performances, dozens of local vendors and info booths, food, a bounce-house, scavenger hunt for kids and live music.

“There’s a great lineup of bands and performers at the bandstand,” Russell said. “We want everyone to come out and dance, enjoy the day. It’s going to be beautiful.”

Email Grace Inez Adams at grace.adams@hawaiitribune-herald.com.