On Sep. 6,  Worcester held its annual Pride Festival. It was scheduled to last from 2 to 7 p.m.; however, it ended up getting cut short due to a tornado warning. Even with the shortened time frame, the event still managed to be quite the sight.

Numerous companies and organizations set up several tables and tents to sell their wares. “To me, pride is a celebration of individuality,” says the director of the Worcester Community Action Center. 

Another vendor at the festival was local queer romance author Sarah Zane. “It took me a while to come out as bisexual; so, to me, getting to vend at pride and spread that queer joy is so important. That’s why I write what I write.” 

While the event was open to the city of Worcester, many Clark students also did attend. Decked out from head to toe in pride memorabilia, it was clear that this was a joyous event for them. “The first time I came, to pride I spent the whole day smiling from ear to ear,” said sophomore Effie Hossfeld. 

Despite the festive occasion, there were some somber, more serious moments. Activists were spreading the word about Gaza. These activists were there not just to talk about Gaza, but they also told people not to let Israel pinkwash this pride.

Another more serious topic was from people who tend to be excluded from the usual queer narratives, such as bisexual people. “Biphobia is a big problem in the queer community,” says bisexual resource center member Bailey Merlin. 

However, even with these more serious discussions, this pride still had a party vibe to it. No place was this better showcased than the drag show, which featured former contestants from America’s Next Top Model and RuPaul’s Drag Race competition. All in all, this pride was one for the books.