(Seguin) — A celebration of community, inclusion and the freedom to be yourself is coming this weekend to the Seguin Events Complex.
After months of planning and public discussion, PrideFest will bring together people from across Seguin and the surrounding area for an event designed to celebrate diversity, encourage acceptance and create a welcoming space where everyone can feel they belong.
Riverside PrideFest board member Hunter Bledsoe says Saturday’s celebration gets underway at 10 a.m., with activities planned for everyone who attends.
“Pride Fest is going to be a lot of fun. Of course, it’s happening on Halloween, so we’re going to have costume contests. We’re going to have all kinds of activities for kids and adults. There’ll be vendors. We’ve got food truck that’s going to be there. All kinds of activities,” said Bledsoe.
Bledsoe says the early portion of the event is designed for families and the entire community. He says those activities will wrap up in the early afternoon, followed by an adults-only show inside the Seguin Coliseum.
“We close down at 1:45 p.m., open back up at 2:15 p.m. for the 18-plus (crowd), and we’re going to have our drag show, but we’re also going to have some performances from the Rocky Horror Picture Show,” said Bledsoe.
The event was debated at Seguin City Council meetings and online, but Bledsoe says now they just want to focus on the event itself and all of those people in the community who will attend it. He says they want everyone to come out and have a good time.
“This is going to be a day of fun and just enjoying being together, celebrating Halloween, celebrating Pride, and just a day of happiness and celebrating being ourselves. We don’t want any negativity. We don’t have time for all that. We want this to be a time where everybody has a good time and enjoys themselves just getting to meet new people and experiencing the joy that they can have at a Pride event,” said Bledsoe.
Organizers say the celebration is about more than any one group of people. They say it’s an opportunity to bring the community together, recognize the value of every individual and celebrate the things that make people unique.