On June 25, 2022, Nashville hosted its annual Pride Festival at Bicentennial Capitol Mall. I, along with some other Vanderbilt students, bore the heat and sun to celebrate alongside Nashville residents.
The festival served as a way for attendees to express every facet of their identity. People showed up in full rainbow attire, draped in pride flag capes or in everyday street clothes. Festival goers of all ages bonded through the shared experience of being seen (some for the first time).
The thing I love most about Pride is the amount of personal expression displayed at the events. Performers take the stage and talk about their struggles, experiences and the weight of the celebrations to them. Nicholas Petricca, Walk the Moon frontman, shared at Nashville Pride this year that it was the first Pride he has attended since coming out. Many times throughout the festival, we were reminded that there is an ongoing fight for equality despite being able to celebrate that day. With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) the day prior, artists and festival attendees alike shared sentiments of disgust and anger at the ruling.
Both sides of the Bicentennial Lawn were lined with pop-up tents from small vendors and even some unlikely faces like Amazon (glam-azon), Cracker Barrel and Dollar General—just to name a few. The ever-popular Daddy’s Dogs served their famous Big Daddy condom combo, and we even found a stand selling watermelon juice for $15.
Of course, there can’t be a festival in Music City without music. The Equality and Rainbow stages at the Bicentennial Lawn hosted an array of talented artists from Nashville and across the country. I had the privilege of seeing Evan James Smith, Sonia Leigh, Bully and Walk the Moon.
