Norman Pride 2023 is happening this weekend May 5-7, with over 100 vendors featuring the theme “Power in Pride.”
The three day event will begin on Friday with the a kick-off ceremony in East Downtown from 6:00-9:00 p.m., inbetween STASH and Lazy Circles Brewing. The following day will host the Norman Pride Festival in Andrews Park, featuring food, vendors, and various activities throughout the day.
This year Norman Pride is partnered with Lazy Circles Brewing on an official Norman Pride beer. The drink goes on sale this Friday and 10% of the proceeds from the sales will go to Norman Pride.
Saturday will feature special guest Kahanna Montrese, star on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” headlining Norman’s largest drag queen show at the event. There will also be a performance from i.V KiNG, a pop artist whose lyrics “paint vivid pictures of both the beauty and pain of growing up with one foot in the church and the other in the LGBTQ+ community.”
While most of the weekend is free to attend, there are various ticketed events available to attendees. Kahanna Montrese will have a meet and greet this weekend, and tickets for the event can be bought here. There are also various drag brunch events attendees can buy a ticket for put on by Norman Pride. Two of the brunches are Mother’s Day themed, and tickets can be bought here, and the other two are normal, and tickets are available here.
Sunday will host the annual Norman Pride Festival down Main Street at 7:00 p.m., featuring Oklahoma State House Representative Jacob Rosencrants and community member, Jeanne Flanigan as the parade’s Grand Marshals, according to a press release from Norman Pride.
“We are excited to bring the Norman community together to celebrate the diversity and strength of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Nathaniel Smith, Norman Pride Board President in a press release sent to the Daily. “Our goal is to create a space where everyone feels welcomed and supported and to spread the message of love, acceptance and equality.”
Although Pride Month is in June, Cort Fisher, Norman Pride board member, said that the event takes place the first weekend of May to accommodate the students at OU who would like to attend.
“OU is a big part of Norman, and we want the students to have the opportunity to attend the event while they’re at school,” Fisher said. “Some students might not be able to go to their prides in their home states or home towns, so while they are at the university they have the chance to attend our pride festival.
For more information on the weekend’s events, visit the Norman Pride website.
