KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The spirit of pride is in the air at Theis Park, across the street from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art as people showed up for day one of KC Pride Fest.
“This is like a home away from home. I feel comfortable. I’m with my people,” said DeDe Hopkins, who’s been a regular at the event for many years. “Anybody can come. It’s not just for the LGBTQ community. Other people can come.”
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Symbols of love and acceptance waved in the air as flags saying “Love is love” were raised above vendor booths, bringing people of all backgrounds together.
Organizers expect to see upwards of 50,000 people visit Theis Park this weekend to shop merchandise, stop by more than 150 vendors, and take in performances from musical artists and drag queens.
“Pride’s so important because it gives LGBTQ+ and the entire community a place to feel comfortable, expressive, and meet new people in the community, and just in general be happy and prideful,” added Jakob Daugherty at his first Pride event.
But with that happiness can come safety issues. Just last month, the FBI and Homeland Security announced that foreign terrorist organizations or their supports might target LGBTQ-related events as part of June’s Pride Month. The Associated Press reports that the announcement did not specify any locations or indicate the agencies were tracking any specific threats. According to the release, foreign terrorist groups and supporters have in the past promoted anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and targeted related events.
When FOX4 spoke with the Bureau’s Kansas City Office Friday afternoon, they wouldn’t say if there were any concerns for KC Pride Fest but did say they have a booth on site, encouraging people to report any suspicious activity to them or the police.
Additionally, KC Pride Fest organizers beefed up security this year, which includes a clear bag policy.
But the focus of this weekend is acceptance, equality, and building bridges between one another.
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“My wife and I aren’t part of the LGBT community, but we really are because we’re all of Kansas City, so it’s great coming out meeting new people who feel comfortable in their environment,” added Bill Rogers, a volunteer.
KC Pride Fest runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and will be preceded by the Pride Parade at 11 a.m. The route for that begins at Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard and will run down Broadway before turning left at Emmanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and ending at Theis Park.
As for Sunday, gates open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
Tickets for Pride Fest are $5 but the parade is free. For more information, click here.
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