Montgomery County will host its second annual LGBTQ+ Pride in the Plaza festival on Sunday, June 26 from noon to 8 p.m. at Veterans Plaza in Downtown Silver Spring.
The free outdoor festival will feature food, music, an LGBTQ+ focused resources and vendor fair, bilingual Drag Queen Story Hour, and the championship finale of Live in Your Truth Program’s Drag Duels series, according to a county press release.
In partnership with Capitol Ballroom Council, the pride event will conclude with Plaza Mini-Ball— a voguing competition offering cash prizes.
“We are thrilled to host Pride in the Plaza again in 2022,” Melvin Cauthen, administrator for the County’s HIV/STI Program and Pride in the Plaza steering committee member said. “This year, we have expanded to a whole week of events, and more importantly, we are building partnerships that will continue to connect and support LGBTQ+ communities far beyond Pride Month.”
Some events leading up to festival day include an LGBTQ+ focused field day, Pride in the Parks Movie Night, and a Pride on the Page Book Talk with local author Eric Nguyen. A full list of events can be found here.
The county is encouraging residents to attend multiple events with a “Passport to Pride.” Residents who get their passport stamped at three or more Plaza in the Pride events will be entered to win one of 10 grand prizes. The passport can be downloaded here or picked up at any participating event.
Pride in the Plaza is hosted by Montgomery County’s HIV/STI Program, which serves residents at the Dennis Avenue Health Center. Local businesses who want to partner and support the events can visit this website.
