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ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak will be bringing the glam on July 26 during the annual Pride event in downtown Royal Oak.
Daniel Solomon, marketing specialist for Pride, said that this year is going to be one to remember.
Along with a lineup of nationally known drag queens, music, vendors, food, games and more, the event will be showcasing authors in a queer author panel hosted by Sidetrack Bookshop.
“I always recommend going out to Pride, even if it’s just for a little bit, because it’s something that is going to bring somebody joy,” Solomon said. “It’s an environment where folks can truly feel like their authentic selves and connect with like-minded folks that are just looking to support equal rights and have a good time doing it.”
The mix of national talent and local talent sets Royal Oak Pride apart from other cities, according to Solomon.
“One thing that sets Royal Oak apart is the fact that we bring in national headliners and the fact that we bring in regional headliners to support them, and they are all accompanied by local groups like Stagecrafters, Shakespeare in the Park, Royal Oak High School’s drama club, as well as tons of local queens and entertainers,” Solomon said. “It’s truly going to be a well-rounded entertainment schedule and dozens of local vendors that are offering ways that folks can support queer-owned and allied businesses.”
Jenny Carney, owner of Sidetrack Bookshop, said that the queer author panel is going to be a great addition to the weekend.
“This is a celebration of queer literature, by and for queer people, so we have four authors who are going to be there, and they are across the broad spectrum,” she said. “We have two of the queens who are performing at Royal Oak Pride (who) are authors themselves.”
Carney said that the panel is going to include a book for everyone.
“It’s really important in a Pride celebration to show all of these different facets and the great variety that is in the queer community,” Carney said. “We are going to have the drag queens, dancing and music, but then we are also going to have this intellectual conversation about literature, and all of that fits within the Pride celebration.”
Celebrating Pride is important for the Royal Oak community, Solomon said.
“One of the biggest ways that Pride impacts the community each year is simply showing the community members, and especially the younger community members, that everybody is welcome in Royal Oak,” Solomon said. “Royal Oak is truly an open-minded and forward-thinking city, that it doesn’t matter your walk of life, it doesn’t matter who you love, it doesn’t matter how you identify — there is a place for you here that is home.”
General admission tickets for the event cost $7.18 in advance, including a $2.18 fee. In-person general admission tickets cost $10. For more information or to purchase tickets, including VIP tickets, visit prideroyaloak.com.
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