The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, Destination Hastings, and Hastings Rainbow Families are excited to host the second annual Friday Night Pride, a free, joyful, family-friendly Pride festival in downtown Hastings on June 2 from 6 – 9 p.m. (rain date June 9th).
The Good Witch Coffee Bar (134 Southside Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson at the Metro North Station) will hold a pre-event from 3:45 to 5:45 with music and supplies for families to make Pride signs. At 5:45 p.m., families can take their creations and join in a march from The Good Witch up to Warburton Avenue to kick off the main event, led by Brooklyn all-female brass band, Brass Queens.The Friday Night Pride event centers on a concert in the middle of Warburton Avenue, featuring a bevy of musicians, dancers, and performers, ranging from local talent to Broadway stars. The show will be emceed by Broadway vet Jamie Karen and stage and recording artist Amy Lynn of Amy Lynn & the Honey Men, who will both also be performing. Other performers include Brian Harris, Jed Ilany, Sophia Rae, Lexy Casano-Antonellis, Kat Gang, the Hastings High School and Middle School choirs, the students of MK Dance, Marla Louissant from the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and Obie-award winner James Jackson Jr., fresh off his starring role in Broadway’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop. Mayor Nicola Armacost will be opening the event, and performances will be interspersed with local LGBTQIA+ community members sharing their stories.Warburton Avenue will be lined with tables offering free activities, including a giant rainbow slide, face painting, kids’ crafts with Jodi Levine of Supermakeit.com, make-your-own spray paint art with graffiti artist Katie Reidy, a community paper quilt project with the Hastings Library, rainbow bracelet making with the Hastings-on-Hudson PTSA, dance activities with hip hop performers Brianna Luciano and Kiana Davalos, LGBTQIA+ Broadway trivia with Broadway Training Center, and much more. Village restaurants will be out selling dinner as well as Pride-themed specials, from boozy ice pops to rainbow popcorn. Westchester LGBTQIA+ organizations The LOFT, Center Lane, and Pride Works will all be in attendance, and local vendors will be offering rainbow cookie decorating, rainbow hair extensions, Pride flags and swag, and LGBTQIA+ kids’ books, among many other Pride-themed offerings. Plus drag artist Amber Guesa will be working her way through the crowd, ready for selfies, and taking the stage for a special kids’ performance.All are welcome to join us as we celebrate and strengthen Hastings as a community of love and equity!
For more information, contact: Jen DiBonaventura (917-817-9384) or Brian Harris (646-671-4865)
Editor’s Note: The above news release has been republished in its entirety to help support Friday Night Parade in Hastings. It has neither been independently reported or fact checked. All questions should be referred to the sources cited within.
