Celebrate St. Louis’ LGBTQIA+ community this weekend at Tower Grove Pride. The two-day independent festival has been a high point in the city’s social calendar since it began in 2012, outgrowing its origins as a small block party and moving into Tower Grove Park.
“Tower Grove Pride is still a humble little community event, but I think it’s important that people see what a really important community we have here,” says Angelo Ossessivo, lead coordinator for the festival. “We are trying to do our civic duty and be a resource.”
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Over the years, the festival has raised the profile of the area’s vibrant queer population. This year, it had a hand in attracting a most illustrious gathering to St. Louis. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from across the globe are converging as the local chapter, the Fourth City Sisters Abbey of the Glittering Arch, hosts the mysterious and arcane Exequatur Conclave. Those solemnities are private, but the visiting Sisters will be out and about all weekend. (You won’t be able to miss them—packs of drag nuns tend to stand out.) See them at Tower Grove Pride, the Paint-it-Red Bar Crawl Friday night in The Grove, the Black & Lou Fetish Ball at Bar:PM Friday night, and the Mister Missouri Leather Contest Saturday.
The two-day festival, Ossessivo says, has hit its stride, and most of what organizers are doing at this point is refining and perfecting the event. “We’re focused on producing a really great experience,” he says.
The festival will have three food courts and two stages. The Orange Stage is for bigger local acts (such as Effie and the Little Deaths, Poetiq, Hazard to ya Booty, and more), while the Purple Stage is a more intimate setting for solo acts (Melissa Harper, Hopeful Utopian, Suzie Q, and more) and drag performers. The skate rink area in the middle of the festival is more DJ-focused, with a roller-disco atmosphere that folks can roll on through.
On Saturday at 4 p.m. at Cypress Circle is Maven Lee’s 5th annual Ball in the Park, where the only the fiercest of the fierce will be serving. Then, on Sunday at 1 p.m., the People’s Joy Parade (yes, the fine folks you know from Cherokee Street’s Cinco de Mayo) steps through the festival grounds starting at the Sons of Rest Pavilion at 1 p.m. There’s also a volleyball tournament, with the chance to try on some of The Rep’s costumes, roller-skate, learn more about banned books, and more.
Tower Grove Pride is just one of an ever-increasing number of pride celebrations across the region, including PrideFest, Alton Pride, Pride St. Charles, Soulard Pride, Metro East Pride, and Black Pride St. Louis. “Our point of view is the more prides, the merrier,” Ossessivo says. “No one has a monopoly on pride—our cup runneth over in St. Louis as far as pride options.”
Support hundreds of local queer- and ally-owned small businesses, nonprofits, artists, crafters, makers, and more. Eat, drink, be merry, and meet your neighbors. The party is free, family-friendly, and welcoming to leashed pets. You can reserve parking in advance for a close-by paid spot, with accessible parking free of charge.
Tower Grove Pride takes place from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday. Visit Tower Grove Pride’s website for details.
