Businesses throughout downtown New Port Richey will host Pasco Pride events Saturday with the Richey Suncoast Theatre as the focal point.
NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — Pasco Pride is back in downtown New Port Richey this year with events spread across multiple venues on Saturday. The LGBTQ+ community will come together from noon to 6 p.m.
While the majority of the live performances and entertainment, including a drag show finale, will take place on the main stage at the Richey Suncoast Theatre, other businesses will also offer various events.
This includes vendors at Growing Together Plant Co., Dented Keg Ale Works, The Hacienda and Emerald Coast, Brewing Co.
Attendees can also find a Kids’ Room at the Community Congregation Church of New Port Richey, a Big Gay Coloring Wall at the Doggy Salon, a VIP Lounge on Sip on Grand, and interactive exhibits at Bourbon on Main and Ordinance One.
The Florida Room NPR will host the sold-out after party.
“This year’s Pride celebration is not in Sims Park, like we did in the past,” drag performer Stephanie Stuart, who will serve as a hostess welcoming attendees to the theater, told Patch. “Everything is indoors … I feel like it’s safer this way, and you know, with the heat that comes in Florida. All these businesses in downtown New Port Richey have a different thing they’re doing. So, you can leave the theater and then go to Emerald Coast Brewing for vendors.”
Once the theater finalized the contract, this year’s event came together in a few short months, so Stuart wants to spread the word that Pride is returning to downtown.
“I’m not really sure what to expect,” she said. “With the political climate the way it is, I’m worried people will be afraid to join us.”
See Also:
Get Your Halloween Frights Early With These Spooky Events In Tampa Bay
Dinosaur Bones To Be Displayed In Rooftop Garden Of Edge District Parking Garage
Breeze Airways Offers First-Ever International Flight Out Of Tampa International Airport
Tampa Bay Halloween Markets Feature Artists, Vendors Selling Spooky Creations, Items
Soccer-Themed Art Show Celebrates Tampa Bay Rowdies, Raises Funds For Fan Club
Pride events and the drag queen story hour she’s hosted on and off for years in the city have a history of attracting anti-LGBTQ protesters, she added.
Still, she’s “seen a lot of buzz” and excitement around this year’s event on social media, especially as New Port Richey hasn’t seen a Pasco Pride festival “in a couple of years,” she said.
Stuart believes partnering with the theater and other businesses is a good move for the organization.
“There are some new businesses down there, though they’re not all new. Many are welcoming us,” she said. “Right now, it does feel really different downtown.”
She added, “Things came together so quickly this year. I think we made the announcement [about the event] a little over a month ago. We’re just trying to get the word out that we are back and everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy. It will be an amazing afternoon in downtown New Port Richey with your kids. Come on down.
