Huge Pride Month event at North Jersey university abruptly canceled

WAYNE — A celebration billed as the first-ever countywide event for Pride Month was abruptly canceled Tuesday, but its organizers are promising to return with an even bigger blowout next year.

Michael Stracco, the chairman of the Pride Alliance of Passaic County , said the four-hour event was called off because there were “too many moving parts” that were “not coming together as they should.”

PrideFest 2024 was months in the making.

NEW TENANT: Point View Shopping Center in Wayne sold, Corrado's Market leased. What we know

“It’s not something that we wanted to do,” Stracco said of the cancelation. “Believe me — we did not want to do this. We looked at every possible angle, and it just was not happening.”

Stracco would not elaborate on the exact reason for scrapping the inaugural celebration.

Guests of honor at the planned event, which was to be held at the campus of William Paterson University on June 22, included drag performer Harmonica Sunbeam and singer-songwriter Robert Bannon. Also scheduled to make an appearance was Tony Ardolino, who represented the U.S. in the Mr. Gay World competition in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2022.

Passaic County was a co-sponsor of the event, and it issued its own statement noting “all parties involved have mutually agreed that canceling this year’s event is the best course of action.”

Story continues below gallery.

County officials encouraged citizens to observe Pride Month at other events in the area , and they expressed gratitude to the university for its willingness to host.

The Pride Alliance formed in February. It grew out of a smaller group of LGBTQ+ volunteers and allies led by Stracco in Hawthorne. So many people came forward to join the local organization that he said he decided to create a new group, widening its membership to encompass the whole county.

The expanded organization will hold a teen leadership summit at the campus of Passaic County Community College in the Haskell section of Wanaque in the fall.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Huge Pride Month event at North Jersey university abruptly canceled