05/21/2026
Elmira PRIDE Festival - June 6, 2026 program details:
The Park Church is completing its planning for the June 6th Elmira Pride Festival (fourth annual) to be held in Wisner Park and announces these details:
• The free event kicks off at 11 AM and will be a wrap at 4 PM, rain or shine, a family friendly celebration.
• Starting off the event schedule will be welcoming remarks from Brent Stermer, Chemung County legislative minority chair and Reverend Gary Brinn, Park Church Pastor and Teacher. Rev. Brinn will relate how this festival can be a life-saving celebration and why The Park Church is committed to bringing it annually to Elmira.
• Featured musicians on the Gazebo stage this year include Andy G. Fagan, Lori Lynn Barrett and Lisa Bloom, and JOGO (Jose Gomez).
• Also returning to the festival is Transpose a ten-voice a Capella q***r singers alliance from Ithaca and a theatrical piece by local playwright Kai DonDero.
• New to the event this year is a set with Big Mama and the Collective and the BloomVEST chorus with a sing-along of social justice ballads.
• Highlighting each year’s Pride festival is the drag show, a staged set of karaoke drag review, this year by nine local drag queens and kings. Plus a story time program for children presented by two of the drag queens.
• Additionally, Latin Dancers with Sandra Thomas will be featured.
• At the close of the festival, members of the LGBTQI+ community who lost their lives to hate crimes, AIDS and/or su***de, will be remembered as doves are released in their names.
• The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes has again granted funding to support artists on stage. This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.
• Community Arts of Elmira is collaborating again this year with interactive art activities, such as the performance artist Caren Hill aka Hazel Shimmerleaf Bubble Fairy; The Elmira Infinite Canvas Mural Board; Face Painting with artist Courtney Keegan; a Stained Glass Demonstration by artist Erica Unterwoman of Aubergine Glass & Jewelry; and an interactive Community Art Pastel with artist Jharmi "Cuba" Leach.
• Food trucks and vendors will line up along the closed section of Main Street between Gray and Church Streets. At 10 AM, Elmira Downtown Development will be offering the Chalk It Up children’s sidewalk chalking program, in preparation for the Elmira Street Painting Festival July 10-11.
• Over twenty community organizations that support the LGBTQI+ community have signed up to table at Elmira Pride including religious and political organizations; health, fitness and social services, plus arts, literacy and youth advocacy non-profits. Space is available for more – contact the church before the deadline of May 26.
• The intention of the Elmira Pride Festival is to foster understanding and acceptance through open, honest and non-judgmental learning and dialogue between those who identify as LGBTQI+ and those who would like to support and foster relationships with LGBTQI+ individuals in the community. The church remains steadfast in its desire to create a safe and inclusive community for everyone.
For more information about…
• …The Park Church, go to www.theparkchurch.org
• …being a tabler or vendor at the event, email [email protected]
• …the entertainers, email Jenny Monroe at [email protected]
• …about art activities, email [email protected]
The Park Church works for social justice with a progressive pulpit and a caring congregation in a landmark structure. We are an active and hopeful partner in Elmira’s renaissance.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1456635562812028
The Park Church works for justice with a progressive pulpit and a caring congregation in a landmark structure. We are an active and hopeful partner in Elmira’s renaissance.
