Crowds gathered at the North Village Arts District in Columbia this weekend for the Mid-Missouri Pridefest.
From noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, vendors lined Park Avenue in downtown Columbia for the festival, which honored the LGBTQ+ community.
Rose Music Hall hosted multiple performances throughout the day, featuring Lady Camden and Briar Blush of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The festival hosted 100 fewer vendors this year due to ongoing construction for the new North Village Park, festival president Janet Davis told KOMU 8 News.
She noted that although this year’s celebration is smaller in scale, it enables attendees to connect more closely than in previous years.
“We can all just spend more time together that way,” Davis said.
Davis served as president for two terms and has served on the board for nine years.
Davis expressed her desire for the community to recognize that Mid-Missouri Pridefest remains committed to supporting them.
“It has been such a wonderful, beautiful ride watching the growth of this community,” Davis said. “I enjoy being part of this festival every year.”
Art and Amanda Smith operated a vendor booth offering a distinctive offering: complimentary “mom and dad” hugs.
Art Smith explained that they have served as vendors at Pridefest since 2018 and have encountered numerous stories that deeply affected them.
“If we can provide them a little comfort, a little bit of joy, it’s a wonderful thing to do,” Art Smith said.
The Quorus Columbia’s LGBTQQA-Z Community Chorus performed during the festival’s opening ceremony. The choir commemorates its 10-year anniversary this year.
Audra Sergel, the artistic director of Quorus, shared that the choir has significantly influenced her life.
“I found a second family,” Sergel said. “And when we’re all together, we’re just where we’re supposed to be.”
Festivities extend into the weekend, with a parade scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday on Broadway through downtown.
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