As it marks its 100th anniversary, Navy Pier will make Chicago history as it proudly hosts Navy Pier Pride 2016, the city’s first LGBT Pride celebration outside of the Lakeview neighborhood. This family-friendly event features entertainment and events throughout the Pier on Saturday, June 25.
As part of the celebration, and for the first time in 28 years, Navy Pier is especially honored to display Chicago-centric sections of the internationally renowned The Names Project’s AIDS Memorial Quilt. All events for Navy Pier Pride 2016 are free and open to the public, as part of the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration.
As one of Chicago’s top cultural destinations, Navy Pier Pride 2016 is one of Navy Pier’s new arts, cultural and community programming initiatives. In addition to a lively atmosphere and a pier adorned in rainbows, highlights of this special Pride day-long event will include :
- 12 p.m.: About Face Theatre’s “It’s for Real”, a collection of stories that connects issues around race, class, sexuality, age, gender, self-esteem, and family. Based on the true experiences of the performers in the show.
- 1 p.m.: A kickoff parade, led by the Lakeside Pride Marching Band
- 1:30 p.m.: Performances by the legendary Milly’s Orchid Show, featuring Brigid Murphy as “Milly” and with an entire cast of such celebrities as Yuri Lane (“The Harmonica Beatbox Man”) and introducing rising gay icon, his 8-year old daughter, Delilah Rose, along with Alexa Grae, Robert Cornelius (former member of the group, “Poi Dog Pondering”), House-O-Matic, and many others.
- 5 p.m.: “Chicago’s Biggest Wedding,” officiated by Angelica Ross (a leading figure in the movement for transgender and racial equality, and star of the hit series, “Her Story”). Make history with us and your loved one as we hold a massive marriage ceremony on the Pier.
- 7 p.m.: For outdoor dancing, with the Chicago skyline as a backdrop, join house music superstar and Grammy Award-nominated producer, DJ Ralphi Rosario, in the Miller Lite Beer Garden at Navy Pier.
- 10:15 p.m.: A special Pride-themed fireworks spectacular.
Another historic and moving part of the day is the return of The Names Project’s AIDS Memorial Quilt. The much-celebrated Quilt began to take shape in 1987 with a single 3 x 6 foot panel created in San Francisco. Today, it weighs 54 tons and is composed of more than 48,000 individual panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who was lost to AIDS. In 1988, Navy Pier became one of the first venues nationally to put The Quilt on public display.
For more details on Navy Pier Pride 2016, and the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration, visit the Navy Pier at www.navypier.com.
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