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Date: 6/26/2023
HOLYOKE — The weather did not stop the Pride from shining through in Holyoke as PrideFest 2023 marked another year of celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in the Paper City on June 17.
The War Memorial Building filled up quickly as the changed location for PrideFest due to potential thunderstorms throughout the afternoon. The afternoon was filled with various performances while craft and food vendors filled the space.
Speaking to kick off celebrations were City Councilors Juan Anderson-Burgos and Jose Maldonado Velez who expressed gratitude for the turnout and for being able to safely keep the event going with the weather concerns.
“We needed to keep you safe. I know it’s not raining right now but we couldn’t chance it. This was all done in one day, this is how dedicated we are to our community, we think safety first then have a blast,” Anderson-Burgos said.
Also visiting this year’s PrideFest was state Sen. John Velis and state Rep. Patricia Duffy who spoke about some of the efforts they make in the legislature as allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Duffy called Holyoke and the state examples of welcoming communities for the LGBTQ+ community.
With PrideFest moving its location to the War Memorial Building, Velis spoke about a recently passed piece of the budget going toward returning veterans benefits to any veterans in the state who were discharged from service due to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policies.
“We made sure that folks again, who decided to serve their country, we were going to honor it,” Velis said.