Tower Grove Pride returns to Tower Grove Park this weekend, bringing with it myriad opportunities for fun, entertainment, and community engagement. The annual event, which began as a block party in 2012, has only gotten bigger and better as it ages.
“Now that we’ve kind of settled into our groove and the people we work with, it’s more about developing and perfecting and getting more complex things accomplished,” says Angelo Ossessivo, a co-founder of Tower Grove Pride.
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The two-day grassroots, community-focused festival is shifting toward more activities and hands-on programming—moving beyond the booths into an activated community, he says.
“We want people to relax, enjoy the park, enjoy the atmosphere, and make new friends,” says Ossessivo.
TGP’s footprint gets larger every year, making a map essential to maneuvering the fest’s many attractions. The festival is broken into rainbow-colored sections, making it easy to find activities, snacks, stages, and more.
The green sector is once again hosting Skate Culture’s rink, with open skating both days. There’s more programming this year: Learn to rollerblade with Groovy Cruises STL, take a skate walk with ZeLucy Leone Fur, paint your own skates, and even give roller yoga a try.
There’s an Orange Stage and a Purple Stage, each with full-day slates of entertainment both days. The Fourth City Sisters bless the Purple Stage on Saturday at 11 a.m. to get things underway, followed by community speakers and musical groups including Of Monarchs, The Sara Shay Drag Revue, Girletariat, Hopeful Utopian, Ahna, and more. DJ Cassiana spins both days. On the Orange Stage, enjoy the St. Louis Video Game Music Orchestra, NoCo Incidents, po mia, the CHARIS Chorus, and DJ Fleurish, among others.
All of the festivities require some fuel, and three food courts spaced throughout the festival will provide food and drink options from 30 local vendors. Hundreds of vendor booths featuring local businesses, organizations, and nonprofits will also line the park’s paths.
While you’re in the community, you can read from banned books, learn about historical martial arts, sample tea, get a tarot reading, or participate in other Pagan-style rituals. St. Louis’ amazing ballroom scene remains represented, though it’s moved from the skate stage to the Stupp Center’s amphitheater.
The parade, a perennial favorite, begins on Sunday at 1 p.m. It starts at the Purple Stage and runs east to west through the grounds, wrapping up with a dance party at the Orange Stage.
Ossessivo says Tower Grove Pride is growing into itself as the years go by. “People recognize us as a unique resource and an opportunity to support other people and find support themselves,” he says. “It’s a party but also a social and economic potluck where we want everyone to be sharing resources with each other and coming together. We really wanted to create an opportunity for people to support each other and get through these hard times together. But in a fun way!”
Tower Grove Pride takes place from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on September 26 and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on September 27. Visit Tower Grove Pride’s website for details.
