Ann Arbor Pride is ready to make its grand return on August 3 as the yearly event will feature live music, food, drag shows and more than double its previous year’s vendors.
Since 2020, The Jim Toy Center has found itself in a constant state of rebuilding after being forced to close the doors of its office space at 319 Braun Court in 2021 and having its first Ann Arbor Pride celebration at Wheeler Park in 2022.
The center, while closed, operated online as a resource to help people find inclusive services for LGBTQ+ teens and families, fighting what they describe as an uphill battle since the introduction of COVID-19.
However, in 2024, the organization feels they have hit their stride, with Jim Toy Center President Joe Halsh saying the center has a “new energy, a new standard and a new way of thinking.”
“Rebuilding for us has been a diversified board,” Halsh said. “We are bringing on people that have a variety of backgrounds. We have a banker, he’s helping us out with investing, we have a social worker that invests in our programming and different connections. We’ve got a marketer to build out a marketing team or social media presence. The stars are aligning and I’m looking forward to what next year or what five years will look like down the line.”
Halsh calls 2024 a monumental year for the LGBTQ+ community in the Ann Arbor area, referring to the upcoming Uplift bar and the upcoming Pride celebration, which he expects to draw 10,000 people. Additionally, nearly 150 vendors will participate, more than double the number from their celebration of 2023 when 70 vendors participated.
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“The expansion happened this year because of the excitement from last year.” Halsh said. “People saw Pride come to Main Street for the first time. I think there were some varied expectations. We estimate between five and seven thousand people showed up.”
The celebration will also feature a substantial expansion in size, with the Jim Toy Center working with the Main Street and State Street Associations to feature programming on both blocks. Halsh said they will feature two stages and more pre and post-events following Pride.
According to Halsh, the two stages will feature a wide array of nationally recognized talents, headlined by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 winner Sasha Colby, with performances by drag performer Avalisa Davenport, Alise King, and Baddie Brooks, who will perform with her full band.
“Ann Arbor can feel like a bubble that maybe we take for granted, where we don’t understand why these spaces are important.” Halsh said. “To see the community get as excited as we are and push us to get involved and figure out how to make it work is exciting. I credit the fresh perspectives of the different volunteers. The different board members have leaned into the ambiguity, and I am proud of this team.”
Additionally, this year’s Pride celebration will include food vendors, which is a first for the annual event. Halsh said local restaurants like Main Street’s Conor O’Neill’s will extend their patios to join the participating vendor space.
“We have State Street to thank for the food trucks,” Halsh said. “We have five to seven food trucks that will offer a variety of different cuisines.”
“Come as you are. This event is a place to meet, socialize, and expand circles. My hope for Pride each year, whether in the park, online, or on Main Street, is that people can take a piece of what they got at the event and use it throughout the year,” Halsh said. “Maybe it is meeting people over at Gay Sports and joining their kickball league or a way to get involved in politics or advocacy through Equality Michigan. That’s always my big hope. That’s why we make Pride a free event. We know we want it to be accessible. Pride is part of a demonstration, a party, a riot; Pride is all the above, and I’m proud that Ann Arbor’s Pride looks like it does.”
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Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
