The Phoenix Pride Festival this year will be a big one, showcasing an array of performances and events and opportunities galore.
And all that organizational effort to put together the Valley’s largest celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is run by four people.
Phoenix Pride is an organization that hosts year-round events that aim to celebrate the LGBTQ+ experience and elevate queer voices, but it only has four full-time staffers. This year’s big fall festivities — the Pride Festival and the Pride Parade — are set to feature more than 150 performances, a nonstop VIP experience, brand-new accommodations and more.
The event runs 2-10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, and noon-9 p.m. Oct. 20 at Steele Indian School Park, with the parade starting at 10 a.m. Sunday at Third Street and Thomas.
To get the help they need, the four staffers employ hundreds of contractors and outside organizations, with a volunteer board of directors and hundreds more volunteers on tap.
Jeremy Helfgot, Principal of J.M. Helfgot Communications and affiliated with Phoenix Pride, gave some insight into why Phoenix Pride works year-round to prepare for the mid-October festivities.
“It is a huge undertaking … it never stops. And we haven’t even mentioned all the factors; the exhibitors, food, entertainment — which includes building, staffing and running stages — that means production, lights, sound, all of the support that goes along with it; the hospitality that goes on backstage, artist support … too many moving parts to even try to list. But, somehow, and it’s a real credit to the staff of four who pull it off, somehow they manage to make it all come together,” Helfgot said.
Mike Fornelli, executive director of Phoenix Pride and one of these four staffers, said money was a big hurdle for the organization this year as well.
Despite inflation in the Phoenix area rising to over 13% in August 2022 before coming back down, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fornelli explained Phoenix Pride has not raised ticket prices at all. He credited this achievement to the help of the organization’s sponsors, partners, and volunteers.
General admission ticket prices range from $30 for one day to $50 for two days. Discounts are available for youth ages 13-17, former military personnel and seniors over 55. Active military personnel and children under 12 receive free admission with ID.
Alero Mills, who has volunteered with Phoenix Pride for the past 23 years, gave some insight into why volunteers like her keep coming back to help.
“When it comes to Pride, I know that when we don’t have the right people in place or the right volunteers, it can’t be as successful as it can be otherwise. So I show up and volunteer to strengthen our community, ” Mills said.
Mills explained one of her favorite things about volunteering is seeing all the new faces and families that show up as Pride gets bigger every year. She also said that people don’t have to be LGBTQ+ themselves to volunteer — it can be anyone who just wants to help out.
Phoenix Pride also has a unique relationship with the city of Phoenix government and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Helfgot explained while Phoenix Pride works with the Phoenix government regardless of whether politicians want to hurt or hinder its events, Hobbs is certainly a helper.
She will be serving as one of three grand marshals who oversee the Pride Parade this year, a unique position given to her after years of help and work with Phoenix Pride and for LGBTQ+ rights in Arizona.
Fornelli also stressed the importance of voting.
“This is an election year, so I encourage everyone to educate yourselves on issues that are important to you and vote. Your vote is your voice, so use it,” Fornelli said.
This year marks the 43rd year of Phoenix Pride events. The festival will have a “Born This Way” theme to celebrate the uniqueness of the LGBTQ+ community and will feature a 100% LGBTQ+ headlining artist lineup.
More information about the festivities, volunteer applications and tickets are available at phoenixpride.org.
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