Out Montclair, a newly founded volunteer-run nonprofit organiztion established by Councilman Peter Yacobellis (Montclair’s first openly LGBTQ+ elected official) in April 2021 to provide community, support, and solidarity for LGBTQ+ people, has announced that it will host Montclair’s first-ever Pride festival next summer on June 11, 2022.
The non-profit hopes that the Montclair Pride festival will “raise awareness and strengthen ties in the community and among all LGBTQ+ people and allies in the region, as well as provide a day filled with art, culture, food, music, and live performances to uplift LGBTQ+ people, issues and history.”
Out Montclair explained that the event will host local talent, special guests, and celebrities. Additional events are being planned leading up to Montclair Pride, including Out Montclair’s partnership with Montclair Film and the Montclair Film Festival in October 2021. Residents and business owners can learn how they can be contributors to the inaugural Montclair Pride festival and surrounding celebrations at outmontclair.org.
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“Montclair has long been known as a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people, where diversity is embraced and our community is drawn together,” said Yacobellis in a statement. “Montclair Pride will be the first time Montclair hosts a formal pride celebration to lift up those values in a joyful way and with a renewed resolve to be a home where all LGBTQ+ people can always be themselves and truly belong. Our first-ever Pride festival will represent many of the amazing assets our community is rightly proud of.”
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He added, “The outpouring of enthusiasm and sold-out engagement that greeted the creation of Out Montclair in June 2021 set the stage for this historic event. Details to come on keynote speakers, performers, and venues, where Pride will be incorporated and elevated across Montclair institutions and landmarks.”
View the announcement video on our YouTube channel here.
About Out Montclair
Out Montclair will offer educational, social, and leisure activities and events to support and promote inclusivity and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary, and gender-fluid youth and adults, according to the press release. It aims to be a safe space where the LGBTQIA+ community and allies can connect.
