Thousands of people celebrating Pride this weekend, how to stay safe
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Downtown Fayetteville will soon be filled with crowds celebrating pride weekend.
“This is the 20th year, and it has only grown to massive proportions,” Cpl. Natalie Eucce with the Fayetteville Police Department said.
Eucce says law enforcement will be around in yellow traffic vests.
“So, if you have a problem, find us, find a firefighter, find a paramedic, everyone will be there,” Eucce said.
Where to celebrate PRIDE 2024 in NWA
The Trans March will kick off the pride events on Friday at 7 p.m. on Dickson Street and the Northwest Arkansas Pride Festival will be on Dickson Street on Saturday from 11 a.m to 5 p.m.
“Get there on time if you’re trying to make it by a certain time. Allow yourself time to walk because you might have to park quite a bit a ways,” Eucce said.
This year, New Orleans’ very own ‘Queen of Bounce’ Big Freedia will take the Tyson Main Stage by storm.
After performing, Big Freedia will head over to Her Set Her Sound’s event at Nomad’s West End in Fayetteville, where people will have the chance to meet her starting at 7:30 p.m.
“I hope that they recognize an iconic person, an iconic artist like them. And see what their presence represents to people like me. I hope that meeting Big Freedia excites people, inspires them, empowers their own connection to their identities, and that people can appreciate Bounce music and culture that’s from New Orleans. Culture that has touched New Orleans and beyond, I want people to embrace that,” Robyn Jordan, founder of Her Set Her Sound, said.
Her Set Her Sound’s mission is to “amplify her on and off the stage and connect us on and off the dance floor.”
Jordan says the team books artists who identify as queer and creates spaces for queer people to connect.
“It’s really not by design. It’s kind of beautiful that a lot of the fem deejays do identify as queer and that queer is being more normalized anyway,” Jordan said.
The company has been in business since 2021 and so far, Big Freedia is the biggest artist they have booked.
“It feels surreal. It feels like I’m arriving,” Jordan said.
She says she’s moving towards her goals and this booking speaks to the progress they’re making.
Jordan says there will be security on site and discrimination, violence, or harassment will not be tolerated.
Eucce wants you to remember to stay safe in the heat while having fun.
“Make sure that you stay hydrated when you get there. Look around for where you can go for shade, where you can go for water as the event progresses,” Eucce said. “Because it’s a very long event. It’s a lot of fun, but we don’t want anyone to get dehydrated and forget to take care of themselves through that time.”
If you don’t plan to attend any of the pride festivities this weekend in Fayetteville, Eucce recommends you to stay away from the entertainment district to help ease parking issues and traffic.
“If you don’t even mean to be there, it can just get really congested,” Eucce said.
There will also be road closures.
Starting at 7 a.m. West Avenue will be closed from Spring Street to Dickson Street and from Watsons Street to Dickson Street until the conclusion of the parade.
At 2:00 in the afternoon, Dickson Street from College Avenue to Arkansas Avenue will be closed until the conclusion of the parade
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