This year’s pride walk will begin at the intersection of Mountain Street and Central Avenue. Photo by Pam Clark 2024
By Lana Pierce
Emergent Arts is proud to present the 7th annual pride walk through downtown Hot Springs. For the first time ever, the walk will end with a free, family-friendly pride festival.
The public is invited to join PRIDE Hot Springs on June 28 to walk in the parade and join the festivities. Those wishing to walk can gather at Grateful Head at 100 Exchange Street at 11:00 AM.
The parade will begin at the intersection of Mountain Street and Central Avenue promptly at 11:30 AM. The parade will head south through downtown, turn on Ouachita Avenue, and end at 500 Quapaw Avenue at the festival location.
The festival takes place on the grounds of the former Quapaw Community Center from noon to 5:00 PM and includes local artisans, food vendors, yard games, community resources, and live performances.
The PRIDE Hot Springs parade is unique as it continues in the tradition of community marches, inviting anyone and everyone in support of the Pride movement and the LGBTQ+ community to join in.
“Now more than ever, our community needs to be seen and supported as part of the fabric of Hot Springs,” says parade founder Erin Holliday. “The political climate across the United States, and especially here in Arkansas, has become hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals and their rights. This is evidenced in the dozens of bills presented in the Arkansas legislature this session, many of which have passed.
“Hot Springs is stronger and more vibrant because of our diversity, and I hope that by marching through downtown, everyone knows that they are safe and welcome in our community.”
PRIDE Hot Springs is excited to announce a partnership with the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute for an after-fest film screening at the Clubhouse, 118 Arbor Street, at 7:00 PM. The screening features the local documentary “Tippy & Barb” and the PBS documentary “Stonewall Uprising.”
This year’s PRIDE Hot Springs is taking place on the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which is considered the start of the PRIDE movement. The film screening is free, and donations are welcome.
Emergent Arts led the first-ever pride walk in Hot Springs in 2019, from the front door of their Whittington studio in conjunction with a Pride-themed art exhibit. Each year, Emergent Arts presents a community art exhibit with a theme centered on diversity and acceptance.
This year’s exhibit is entitled “Indelible, The Un-Erasable Color in Our Community.” The exhibit will open at the Circle Gallery at Emergent Arts, 341-a Whittington Avenue, on Friday, June 6, at 5:00 PM.
Gallery Walk also includes the annual Queer Craft Camp, where the public can make free rainbow crafts, parade signs, and personal accessories to show their pride. The exhibit will be on display through June 20.
For more information on the event, sponsorships, and vendor inquiries, please email info@emergentarts.org.
For real-time updates, please follow Facebook: PRIDE Hot Springs.
Lana Pierce is a 19-year veteran of the NLRFD who lives in Hot Springs and owns RetroFit.
