Hundreds come out for River City Pride Festival in Riverside

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – River City Pride was back Sunday and hundreds of organizations and community members showed up and showed off their pride at a festival in Riverside.

The parade portion of the event was postponed this year due to Tropical Storm Ian, but River City Pride still invited everyone to “Be Loud, Be Proud” during a festival and market at Duck Pond. This year’s events included celebrities, singers, DJs, bands, vendors, entertainers and speakers.

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“I’ve never been to a River City Pride before, and I’ve wanted to go for the past couple of years,” Kate Curran, event attendant, said. “I like knowing there are people who are kind and inclusive and knowing that you’re not the only one out there who feels this way or wants to do stuff like this.”

The annual event usually gathers a lot of people but this year it did face a hurdle as Hurricane Ian came through just days before the event was scheduled to take place.

Although the parade was delayed and will have to be rescheduled, people were still happy to have the opportunity to get together.

“I’ve been in the closet all my life until about 10 years ago and am getting older and thought I should be who I am or who I should be, so I hope the politics change in Florida and the legislation is in our favor,” Nick Savina told News4JAX at the event.

CW17 and WJXT The Local Station were proud to be named media sponsors of the 2022 River City Pride Parade and Festival.

The River City Pride parade was postponed but the city still showed up for a festival on Sunday.
The River City Pride parade was postponed but the city still showed up for a festival on Sunday.

About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.