You can expect a rainbow-hued burst of music, fun and, yes, pride in downtown San Jose as Silicon Valley Pride turns up the volume for its 50th anniversary festival and parade this weekend.
Latin Grammy-nominated rapper Snow Tha Product — a San Jose native — will headline the festival Saturday at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which runs from 6 to 11 p.m. and continues Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. You can also expect a huge crowd to come out for Sunday’s parade, which will start at Market and Julian streets at 10:30 a.m. and proceed in spectacular fashion along Market Street to Plaza de Cesar Chavez.
An VTA bus wrap designed by Haley Tang for Silicon Valley Pride features people who had important roles in the LGBTQ rights movement, including former Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, performer and activist Billy DeFrank, poet Audre Lourd and activist Angela Davis. (Photograph by Haley Tang)
In addition to all the community organizations, corporations and elected officials taking part, the parade also will include a VTA bus decorated with a special Silicon Valley Pride wrap designed by artist Haley Tang. It features images of key figures in the LGBTQ movement over the years, including Harvey Milk, Billy DeFrank, Marsha P. Johnson and Ken Yeager. Yeager, a former Santa Clara County Supervisor, served for several years on the VTA board of directors and now leads the BAYMEC Community Foundation.
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The theme of this year’s celebration if “Unstoppable: 50 Years of Love, Legacy & Liberation.” Silicon Valley Pride traces its roots to a 1975 gay rights rally at San Jose State, which was followed in 1976 by the first Pride festival at St. James Park.
“We’ve spent half a century breaking barriers and embracing every facet of who we are, and this historic festival — featuring Snow Tha Product — is our boldest statement yet: we are truly unstoppable,” SV Pride CEO Nicole Altamirano said in a statement. “Whether you’ve been with us for decades or you’re new to Pride, we invite everyone to feel the magic and the momentum that has carried us through five remarkable decades.”
More details on the weekend events, as well as tickets, are available at www.svpride.com.