The LGBTQ Center of Durham hosted Pride: Durham, N.C. on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29, culminating in a parade on Sunday morning.

The Pride Parade started at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Campus Drive and Main Street next to Duke University’s East Campus. The event’s committee chair Jesse Huddleston said that over 100 organizations and community groups marched in the parade, such as the NC State Gay Alliance, The Scrap Exchange and TROSA Moving & Storage.

“People offer what they can, and that comes together to make Pride possible,” Huddleston said.

An estimated 1,000 people attended the parade as marchers or viewers, according to the LGBTQ Center. Some of the attendants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to gather in celebration with the community.

“This was my first place of trying to connect with other queer people and make those first steps of being visible,” Chris Hawn, a Durham resident and parade goer, said. “It holds all those memories of that time and the growth since then.”

Mel Goodwin-Hurley, another Durham resident and attendant at the parade, said they were really excited to be at the event.

“It just feels like a celebration this year,” Goodwin-Hurley said.

This year’s Pride celebration comes one year after the last-minute cancellation of 2023 Pride due to weather concerns. Huddleston said the center was focused on redeeming last year’s lost opportunities while preparing for the event.

Huddleston also said they were committed to honoring transgender and nonbinary community members while planning and running the events through the theme “Give Them Their Flowers,” which was the theme of last year’s celebration before it was canceled.

“It’s important to remember people who’ve already become ancestors, as well as folks who are still with us,” Huddleston said. “How do we pay tribute and offer acknowledgment and respect and appreciation for the ways that people create and shape community, not just for LGBTQ folks, but really for all of us?”

The theme was incorporated in the decorations of many parade floats and event vendors and emphasized in advocacy efforts before, during and after the parade. Huddleston said they wanted to make it clear that the center and the community are appreciative of transgender and nonbinary individuals.

In addition to the parade, the LGBTQ Center hosted a Music & Market Festival on Saturday and a Community Kickback on Sunday.

Saturday’s events spread across downtown Durham from noon to 8 p.m. A pop-up market with more than 100 vendors took place at Lot 8 and Chapel Hill St. Lot, offering local shopping to all pedestrians who walked through.

Several local food trucks and food vendors were stationed at Durham Central Park, and the concert stage was located in CCB Plaza, showcasing both local and visiting artists and bands, including headliners Halima and Madison McFerrin.

The Community Kickback immediately followed the parade on Sunday at Duke East Campus. The center invited attendants to lounge on the campus, enjoy free food and beverages from vendors, listen to music from a live DJ and participate in family-friendly activities as a way to spend time in community.

Moving forward, Huddleson said the center is committed to continuing its services and informing others of its resources and support. While large events like Pride: Durham are important to the center, Huddleson said, the organization is focused on everyday support and advocacy.

“It’s about continuing to make these programs and services available, continuing to put into practice what we say we believe and who we are and doing our best to embody values of community, equity and revolutionary love,” Huddleston said.

Edited by: Davis Seik, Sarah Smiley