With Pride Month fast approaching, the calendar is already filling up with celebrations, events, parades, ceremonies, remembrances and a whole lot more. Notably for Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the Chapel Hill Pride Promenade is slated to return to Franklin Street in 2023!

On Saturday, June 3, from 2-4 p.m. the promenade will heralds the beginning of Small Town Pride across Chapel Hill and Carrboro. With planning support from Chapel Hill’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), the event features a march down Franklin Street from Peace & Justice Plaza to 140 West Plaza, followed by a gathering with music, art and more.

“While this is only the second year for this event, it has already become something that the community looks forward to,” said Matt DeBellis, an ERG member, in a press release. “This year, we helped bring several ally organizations to the Promenade, including Equality NC and the UNC LGBTQ Center.”

In addition to the march down Franklin Street, this year’s Promenade will showcase:

  • The Triangle Pride Jazz Band, an LGBTQIA+ and ally community band program, will play at Peace & Justice Plaza from 1:15 – 1:45 p.m. to entertain the crowd as they gather for the march.
  • 140 West Plaza will feature public art by Durham-based artist Julia Gartrell. A 13-foot-high pyramid will highlight Pride Month’s themes of celebration, reflection, and action.
  • At 140 West Plaza there will be a DJ playing dance music, LGBTQIA+ and ally organizations sharing information, and artist Freddy Bell leading a community mural-making project.
  • The Chapel Hill Public Library’s Circulator will be on the Plaza, showcasing books for all ages that reflect and celebrate LGBTQIA+ lives and stories, along with acclaimed Drag artist Naomi Dix.

The community is encouraged to wear festive colors and bring flags that show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Attendees will gather on Henderson Street starting at 1:15 p.m. and Chapel Hill Mayor Pro Tem Karen Stegman will make brief remarks at 2 p.m. to signal the official start of the 2023 Pride Promenade. Chapel Hill Police will manage a rolling street closure as the crowd progresses down Franklin Street to 140 West Plaza, where the celebration will continue.

More than a thousand people attended the inaugural Promenade in 2022 and a large crowd is expected for this year’s event. Biking, cycling, and walking is encouraged, as is riding Chapel Hill Transit.

The Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro have many other events planned, including the Pride Piper Walk and Pride Food Truck Rodeo and Dance Party at Carrboro Town Commons to close out the Small Town Pride festivities on Friday, June 30. For a full listing of town-supported Pride events and celebrations, click here.

Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill

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