In honor of Pride Month, the Safe Harbors green will turn rainbow on June 23 as Safe Harbors of the Hudson hosts its first annual Pride on the Green celebration.

To begin the day’s festivities, there will be a sidewalk procession starting at 11:30 a.m. from the Newburgh Brewing Company to Safe Harbors Green. Live music performances, DJs and dancing will then take place on the Safe Harbors Green from 12-6 p.m. The festival is designed to be inclusive for all people wishing to partake in the day’s fun and entertainment, catering to local families and children as well.

“We are packing it with lots of vendors and sponsors,” said Ken Martinez, the director of performing arts and community programming for Safe Harbors. “You will be able to do anything from get gelato to make a doctor’s appointment. So it is going to be a very interesting event with lots to do.”

Martinez said he hopes next year they will be able to have a parade through the streets, adding that they tried to focus greatly on selecting local talent and LGBTQ+ performers. The main stage performances, which will go from 12-2 p.m. are going to be hosted by Victoria Bohmore and include music from DJ Pete Pop, also spotlighting other artists like Juliza Alezae, Katarina Mirage and Memphis Divine.

The day’s itinerary will also include a Drag Story Hour — a nonprofit fostering inclusive spaces where storytellers read books to kids through the art of drag. At 1 p.m. there will be readings with Angel Elektra & Shay D’Pines for all kids. According to their website, Drag Story Hour provides children with queer role models to look up to and creates an environment for them to imagine a world that tears down the traditionally accepted gender binary.

From 4 - 6 p.m. there will be a dance party with DJ Meetchka, and after 6 p.m. until late into the night, an after party will be held at Spirits Lab featuring musical hits from the 80s and 90s. Although Martinez said there have been pride events in Newburgh before, this is the first of this event hosted by Safe Harbors specifically.

Pride Month first began in 1994, originally designated to the month of October by a group of educational organizations based in the United States. It was initially federally recognized by President Bill Clinton in 1999 as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. A decade later, in 2009 President Barack Obama declared June LGBT Pride Month and in 2021, President Joe Biden altered the official title to LGBTQ Pride Month.

Throughout the month, pride celebrations and other pride-centered events are taking place not just throughout the Hudson Valley, but across the state and the country.

Events like these are what make places desirable for people to live, Marinez said. Pride gatherings have the ability to incite engagement within the community, as they draw a diverse crowd from different groups and socio-economic backgrounds.

Pride on the Green’s sponsors and partners include the City of Newburgh, Chronogram, Friends of the Newburgh Free Library, Planned Parenthood, Newburgh Illuminated, Ally Realty, RicRac by Hendley & Co and Newburgh Brewing Company.

“It has been quite an experience to put this together and realize this is actually the beginning of a very long, amazing event,” Martinez said.