PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TOWER GROVE PRIDE
This weekend, Tower Grove Pride celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community—and its 10th year. Although the festival has grown a great deal over the past decade, it remains devoted to its community-centric origins.
“It’s obviously come a long way and a lot further than we ever thought it would,” says festival co-founder Angelo Ossessivo. “It started as this little rebellious block party, and it grew into a strong, solid institution that does a lot of good and gives a lot of opportunities and platform to a lot of people.”
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TOWER GROVE PRIDE
The festival in Tower Grove Park features hundreds of local vendors, lots of great food and drink options, two stages full of local bands and DJs, drag performances, and a ball. You can visit with nonprofits, hit up a roller rink, take your best shot at staying on a mechanical bull, and enjoy (and join) the parade.
“After 10 years, we’re looking at the past with surprise and joy, and we’re also looking at the future now,” Ossessivo says. “We need to grow the institution around the idea.”
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TOWER GROVE PRIDE
Ossessivo points out that Tower Grove Pride is an organization with year-round programming and not just a party in the park. Follow the organization's social media to learn about events—theirs and friends—all year long.
“St. Louis is a place where people will just do their thing,” Ossessivo says. “There’s so many other Prides, some that came before, some that came after us. I’m happy to work with all of them. The community is a diverse set of viewpoints, and we work together where we can.”
For instance, last year Soulard Pride arrived with the neighborhood’s ubiquitous fast-casual transport, its legion of golf carts, to help ferry Tower Grove Pride attendees around the ever-growing festival footprint. The People’s Joy Parade, perhaps best known for its Cinco de Mayo procession on Cherokee Street, joined Tower Grove Pride last year. Both return this weekend.
“Let’s work together!” Ossessivo says. “Things like that keep happening more and more.”
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF TOWER GROVE PRIDE
Artist Lisa Marie of Lisa Marie Studio is returning with her big rainbow public art installations, which make great Instagram backdrops. She’s also leant her colorful organizational skills to a rainbow-themed map that should make navigating the festival simple and fun, Ossessivo says.
“We’re very proud of it,” Ossessivo says of Tower Grove Pride. “It’s a tradition that will continue to be in the community for years and years to come.”
Tower Grove Pride runs from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday.
