The Friendlier City Project is excited to announce its fourth annual Pride on the Plaza event to be held June 13 at Wheeling’s Heritage Port from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
This family-friendly festival seeks to honor and celebrate the area’s LGBTQ+ community and welcome Wheeling’s festival season in true fashion by shutting down Water Street and hosting numerous artists, food vendors, community tables, musicians, performers and an impactful art installation.
With more than 60 food vendors, artisans, local businesses, and community organizations participating, Pride on the Plaza offers something for everyone, from shopping and dining to live entertainment, educational exhibits, and family-friendly activities.
This year’s pride theme is ‘Free to Be’ in recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary, but daring to ask what freedom means when the LGBTQ+ community has, and continues to, face discrimination throughout the history of the United States.
Dozens of local artists, non-profit organizations, community partners, and food vendors will have a presence at the event’s unrivaled artisan market and community resource area. The day’s events will also include performances by The Pittsburgh Pride Choir, Epiphany, and Annie Wolfe. Magician Dennis Regling will take the main stage for a one-of-a-kind performance, as well. Attendees can participate in a gender affirming closet, gender affirming hair salon, a Pride bike ride, chakra yoga with Restore Yoga, and a drum circle with Michelle Hartley.
Accompanying Pride on the Plaza will be two portions of the ‘NAMES’ Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, a version of the original Pride flag designed by Gilbert Baker, a museum of queer history in Wheeling, and a Pride-themed art gallery hosted at the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community.
Following the day’s festivities will be a Pride After Dark drag performance by several artists.
“Pride on the Plaza is one of the largest festivals hosted in Wheeling, and we are so proud to bring an even bigger and better lineup for our fourth Pride,” said Mikaya Green, chair of The Friendlier City Project. “While our musicians, entertainers, community partners, artisans, and food vendors are a highlight each and every year, we are so excited to complement these traditional festival amenities with the educational and thought-provoking displays of the Gilbert Baker flag and the AIDS Memorial Quilt.”
Green further expressed how critical Pride celebrations are now more than ever.
“The variety of artists, organizations, food vendors, musicians, performers, and educational opportunities featured during Pride on the Plaza is a testament to this community’s support for their LGBTQ+ friends, family and neighbors,” Green said of the event’s lineup. “It’s critical, especially now, that our community shows up in support of the people, including the LGBTQ+ community, who call this place home. It’s one way we help Wheeling live up to being ‘the Friendly City’.”
Organizational Background: The Friendlier City Project was founded in 2022 as a nonprofit organization to build an established and prospering LGBTQ+ community in Wheeling through enhanced partnerships and educational opportunities. The group has hosted its annual Pride on the Plaza since its inception and has quickly become the preeminent Pride festival in the Friendly City.
