Cortland Pride 2025!
This segment normally goes over various ways to be a better Ally to the LGBTQ+ people in your life. Keep in mind that being an Ally is NOT something you ARE but something you DO. It takes constant work and if you slip up it’s important to listen to what your LGBTQ+ friends and family are telling you in how to be better. This month however, we are going to be talking about the upcoming-
Cortland Community Pride Festival 2025!
This year will be the third annual Cortland Community Pride Festival! We are extremely excited to bring this event back! The festival will be on Saturday July 19th, from 10am to 2pm at Courthouse Park in Cortland. We will have over 60 agencies and vendors, a raffle giveaway, a pride costume contest, and our family friendly drag show! Our Pride Emcee, Jo Boring, will also be back this year to help run the music, help with the event, and have a good time. We also have a group of sponsors that gave over $5500 to help fund the event this year! We are extremely thankful to all of our sponsors and partners that are helping with the event. You can find the full list of sponsors on the flyer for the event and on the Center’s website.
Like previous years, we will have our vendors and agencies spread throughout the park, ranging from local and regional healthcare providers, mental health providers, social support groups and coalitions, vendors selling their art and products, state offices/departments, as well as some options for food and drinks during the event. With over 60 tables registered for the event, there will be something for everyone.
We also have local businesses donating items to our raffle giveaway again this year. To enter folks just need to check-in at the Center’s table at the event and the winner(s) will be announced towards the end of the festival. If you sign up make sure to stick around so you can claim your prizes if you win! Last year we ended up with three prizes, and I’m looking forward to see what gets donated this year. Previous rewards have ranged from branded swag/merch, gift cards, candles, shirts and hats, and unique items depending on what specific businesses sell.
The raffle isn’t the only thing you could win! If you show up in a fun pride outfit you can join our Pride Contest! Come in a family friendly appropriate outfit that shows off what Pride is for you. Covered in rainbows, or a stylized look with matching accessories and parasol, matching couple/family outfits, whatever speaks to you! The winner will be chosen by audience praise, and we’ll have some extra prizes for the rest of the top 4 this year as well!
And of course, the most exciting part of the Festival is our family friendly drag show! If you have been to our previous Cortland Pride Festival’s than you know how much fun they are. We have returning queens Noah Phence, Queen Tessential, and Saylix Morrison to bring their fun and beautiful drag to Cortland. We also have our first Drag King to perform at Cortland Pride, Scope Kaleido! Every year our drag performers know how to bring amazing looks, great performances, and laughs to our event and I am looking forward to seeing what they do this year!
The Center will also have our Pride and Pronoun button baskets as well as some pride merch to giveaway, so make sure to come say hi, check-in for the raffle, sign in for the newsletter or our discord server. We hope for amazing weather and to bring together the community in a day of fun and Pride!