Portland PrideFest Cranks the Volume on Live Music
Look, we all know the Portland Pride Parade is the main event. But once the last float rolls by and the glitter begins its inevitable migration into every crack in downtown Portland, the party shifts to Deering Oaks Park for PrideFest.
This year’s festival takes place Saturday, June 20, and it’s starting a little earlier than usual. The parade kicks off at 11:30am, which means PrideFest gets underway at 12:30pm. The park will be open before the parade, so feel free to stake out your patch of grass early.
One thing that’s a little different this year? More live music.
Pride Portland board member Trevor Legere told That Portland Sound that past festivals have leaned heavily into drag performances. This year, organizers wanted to mix things up a bit.
The lineup features artists with both Portland roots and Pride connections, but each act is bringing a very different sound to the PrideFest stage.
Former Portlander Adrienne Mack-Davis takes the stage at 1:50pm with the polished R&B sound she’s continued to develop since leaving Maine to pursue music full-time. At 2:10pm, local powerpop outfit Vices Inc. uncorks their heady blend of pop-punk hooks and glam-rock sensibilities. Then at 2:35pm, Brie Dee & The Muck Toos bring it home with a set of tunes that should pair nicely with whatever food-truck delicacy you’re balancing on a paper plate.
Tascha Tektite hosts the festivities, with DJs keeping things moving throughout the day.
Best of all, PrideFest is free. No tickets. No cover charge. Just show up, celebrate, and enjoy one of Portland’s most colorful afternoons of the year.
New Single from Ukelele King Joe Sweeney Celebrates a Stonewall Hero and Supports EqualityMaine
OOB uke master Joe Sweeney has dropped a new track called Marsha P, just in time for Pride, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the sales of the track on his Bandcamp page are going to EqualityMaine.
The first single off his impending LP, Party of One, Sweeney called Marsha P a party song and said he wrote it as an homage to one of his personal heroes, Stonewall legend Marsha P. Johnson.
“In my dreams, this comes on the Stonewall jukebox and she hits the dance floor,” Joe says.
Party of One will be out on vinyl on August 7, but you can get Marsha P at Joe’s Bandcamp page, which you’ll find here, now.