The end of summer parties continue. The South Bay Pride Art & Music Festival is on Sept. 13 from noon to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park in Chula Vista.
The festival is hosted by the South Bay Alliance — a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group — to promote awareness of and build community in the sizable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the south San Diego County area.
Dae Elliot, chair of South Bay Alliance, estimates about 7 percent of the South Bay population is part of the LGBT community.
“It’s basically just an art and music festival but with a little bit of LGBT flavor,” said Elliot. “Certainly it is a safe arena for all sexualities and gender expressions.”
“It’s the affirmation that their own community is embracing and accepting them,” Elliot said. “They don’t have to go outside of their community to be who they are. Pride in a sense is saying, ‘We are not going to hide and be ashamed because we’re fine people.’”
South Bay Alliance took over the festival in 2006 from Family Matters, the gay parenting association of San Diego.
Attendees at Pride will see performances by drag queens and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Local musical acts Todo Mundo, Danielle LoPresti & the Masses and Royal Heart will also provide musical entertainment on two stages.
A beverage garden, water sports, children’s activities and an art of pride in the park are just a few of other activities that will be presented at the festival.
The festival has doubled its attendance figures since its beginnings, Elliot said.
Last year, the event was moved from Memorial Park to Bayfront Park to accommodate the more than 2,500 attendees.
Elliot said she expects the event to continue its growth as they entered into a multi-year contract with the Port of San Diego to continue to host Pride at Bayfront Park.
Elliot estimates about 5,000 attendees for this year’s event. The event remains free to the public.
