Latest news with #PrideonHigh
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
How law enforcement plans to keep Pride Festival safe
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Stonewall Columbus Pride March and Festival returns this weekend, welcoming thousands of people downtown to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. With police anticipating big crowds, Columbus Police Commander Scott Evers said safety is top of mind. 'We started planning for this event pretty much the day after, you know, it ended last year,' Evers said. 'From that, you know, we just kind of figure out what we can improve from last year.' How Granville, Grove City and Gahanna are celebrating Pride 2025 Evers said when it comes to planning, the main focus is allocating resources. He said the department works with federal and state partners and gathers feedback from other cities. 'Some of the things we change is just a lot of it's just logistics,' Evers said. 'You know, how we can situate personnel so they can, you know, be better able to respond to different areas.' Officers will be out patrolling the area on foot, horseback, bikes and cruisers. Attendees can also expect to see cameras throughout the Pride festival and parade route. 'If you see something, say something,' Evers said. 'Cameras obviously make it easier for people to see more things. It's a force multiplier.' Pride on High viewing area to benefit Columbus LGBTQ+ groups Pride Month comes amid rising political protests and tensions, and police are prepared for protests planned at the statehouse. 'We have dialogue officers that are here,' Evers said. 'They have existing relationships with all kinds of groups, as many groups as we can, and we focus on it is truly a relationship with a lot of groups, right? If people are protesting, I mean, it's their First Amendment right, and we are here to accommodate and welcome anybody that comes.' This year, with warmer temperatures forecast for the weekend, police said there will be more water available and they'll be communicating with event organizers should they have to make changes due to weather. 'We continuously evaluate every event, like I said, that happens here, nationally, internationally and we adjust plans,' Evers said. 'We adjust plans, or we don't adjust plans, just depending on it.' List: 2025 Pride Month events, festivals in central Ohio According to Columbus police, they have not received any credible threats to the Pride fest or protests this weekend. The Pride Festival will run from 4-10 p.m. on June 13 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 14 in Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St. The march will leave from the corner of Broad and High streets at 10:30 a.m. June 14. Participants will proceed north on High Street to the Buttles Avenue intersection. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pride on High viewing area to benefit Columbus LGBTQ+ groups
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Those heading to the Stonewall Columbus Pride March this weekend can reserve their spot at a special viewing area that benefits central Ohio LGBTQ+ organizations. Boasted as the ultimate parade watching experience, Pride on High is a ticketed event allowing guests to view the march from Parlay Sports Club and Kitchen, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, or the recently opened El Vaquero. The event is the only one in the Short North offering live entertainment, food and beverages during the parade, along with shade and private restrooms. In its 15th year, Pride on High was created by organizer Mike Maly and his husband, who noticed in 2010 that nearly all of the restaurants in the Short North were closed during the Pride march. Watch a previous NBC4 report on Pride on High in the video player above. Out in Ohio: Stonewall Columbus gets ready for Pride 2025 'All of the restaurants were closed for the Pride parade, and my husband and I actually went down to Hyde Park and there was a high-top table, an umbrella and two chairs, and we sat there,' Maly said. 'That following Monday, I called them and said, 'Would you consider being open?' And that was the start.' Their first year, Pride on High just welcomed 25 guests. But the event has steadily grown, from about 440 attendees right before the COVID-19 pandemic to more than 770 last year. Tickets to Pride on High cost $75 per person, with every dollar benefiting the LGBTQ+ organization of your choosing: Stonewall Columbus, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Equality Ohio, or Mozaic by Equitas Health, a community center for transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary Ohioans. 'The mission is to bring the Columbus community together and provide funding for LGBTQ+ youth and community initiatives that, in turn, provides resources for a safe, educated and healthy future,' Maly said. 'Each and every one of these organizations, I know exactly where every dollar goes, and it's not wasted.' List: 2025 Pride Month events, festivals in central Ohio NBC4 will be streaming the march from Pride on High, with anchor Colleen Marshall hosting alongside Columbus drag queen Virginia West and Amber Nicole, who will be performing two songs before the parade. Maly said this year, 'It's important for everyone to be seen, to be heard, to celebrate who we are' in the wake of federal measures and legislation at the Ohio Statehouse that opponents deem 'anti-LGBTQ+.' Maly said the rhetoric is having a tangible effect on Pride on High, as sales are down 50% compared to this time last year. 'I think with the political environment and everything that's going on out there, it's impacting the sales,' Maly said. 'This has been very tough this year. I've worked for over 30 years and making people's lives better and making sure that kids have a better future, and that's what keeps me going.' Nissan, Walmart dial back Stonewall Columbus sponsorships for Pride 2025 While ticket sales may be down, Maly said donations to operate Pride on High are higher than they've ever been before. 'That tells me that there are people out there that truly do believe in who we are, what we are, what we bring to the world, and this is ridiculous what we're going through right now,' Maly said. 'Hopefully, we'll get some of the folks to come and join the party.' Learn more about Pride on High and purchase tickets here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stonewall Columbus Pride guide: What to know for this weekend's celebration
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Stonewall Columbus Pride March and Festival returns this weekend, welcoming thousands Downtown to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The 44th Pride in Columbus, the march and festival remembers the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a series of conflicts between police and LGBTQ+ protesters that stretched over six days. The celebration also serves as Stonewall Columbus' largest fundraiser, benefiting community programs and annual operations. Out in Ohio: Stonewall Columbus gets ready for Pride 2025 The city's first Pride march happened in 1981 with just 200 people. Today, Stonewall Columbus Pride welcomes more than 700,000 visitors. Watch the latest episode of Out in Ohio in the video player above. This weekend's festival begins at 4 p.m. on Friday at Goodale Park and runs until 10 p.m. with food, more than 200 vendors, nonprofit organizations, community resources, and live entertainment across two stages with a DJ and dance pad. Friday's entertainers include host Amber Knicole joined by a lineup of 'allies and accomplices who have shown unwavering support and solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.' The celebration continues at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday with Stonewall's Pride march at Broad and High streets, moving north on High Street to Buttles Avenue and landing at Goodale Park. Guests can reserve a premium viewing space with 'Pride on High' at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, Parlay Sporting Club and Kitchen, or El Vaquero. Marysville, Westerville LGBTQ+ groups rally Pride funds as businesses pull support Pride on High tickets benefit four local charities and programs supporting the LGBTQ+ community: Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Mozaic by Equitas Health, Stonewall Columbus and Equality Ohio. The festival resumes Saturday at 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Entertainers include Bronze Avery, a Los Angeles-based pop singer-songwriter and producer, and Figgy Baby, an internationally touring, non-binary Mexican rapper. The festival will also feature a dedicated 'Wellness Area' with the Columbus Department of Public Health, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Equitas Health. Guests will find rapid HIV testing and other resources. In preparation for the march and festival, there are a number of street closures to be mindful of. There will be residents-only access beginning mid-afternoon on Friday for the following: Dennison Avenue between Goodale Street and Buttles Avenue Park Street between Buttles Avenue and Goodale Street Buttles Avenue between Dennison Avenue and High Street Russell Street between High Street and Park Street Milay Alley between High Street and Park Street Poplar Ave between High Street and Park Street Out in Ohio: How Granville, Grove City and Gahanna are celebrating Pride 2025 For the Saturday march, the following will be closed beginning at 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., or until cleanup has been completed: High Street between Buttles Avenue and Rich Street Dennison Avenue between Goodale Street and Buttles Avenue Park Street between Buttles Avenue and Goodale Street Buttles Avenue between Dennison Avenue and High Street High Street between Main Street and Broad Street Rich Street between Third Street and Front Street Town Street between High Street and Front Street State Street between Third Street and Front Street Part of Stonewall's Pride celebration includes designating this year's Leader of Pride, recognizing an individual or group who use their voice to speak out in support of members of the LGBTQ+ community in central Ohio and beyond. This year's recipient is Slammers, a storied lesbian bar at 202 E. Long St. Ohio lawmakers call for 2026 ballot measure to overturn same-sex marriage ban NBC4 will be streaming the parade from Pride on High, and anchor Colleen Marshall will be hosting the march along with Amber Nicole and Virginia West. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
