By Donald Gilpin

Launching its celebration of diversity, inclusion, and community, Princeton will be hosting a flag-raising, a Pride Picnic, and a Pride Dance Party this Friday on the eve of Pride Month.

Following the annual Pride flag-raising at noon on May 31 at Monument Hall, the fourth annual Princeton Community Pride Picnic will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hinds Plaza on Witherspoon Street outside the Princeton Public Library (PPL).

The picnic promises “a family-friendly event,” with “something for everyone,” and “an array of entertainment and activities,” featuring performances by the Princeton School of Rock and drag performers Lady Celestina and Victoria Courtez, music with DJ Dana K of WPRB 103.3 FM, an interactive art project led by Liz Massa, giveaways, crafts, games, a Makers and Zine Alley, and more. If it rains, the picnic will move inside the library.

Councilwoman Eve Niedergang emphasized the significance of the flag-raising as the start of Pride Month. “It’s important to everyone in the governing body to stand for inclusion and equity, and being able to host the pride flag-raising just before Pride Month is a fabulous opportunity for us to send the signal to the community that we care and that we stand for rights for everybody regardless of their sexual orientation or gender affiliation,” she said. “It’s an effort to be inclusive and welcoming.”

Offering a personal note, she added, “When I was growing up one of my closest friends was lesbian and another was gay. This kind of event would have meant so much to them and so much to me to be able to share in it. It’s personally really meaningful for me to be able to participate in this because I saw what exclusion and prejudice did.”

Mimi Omiecinski, owner of Princeton Tour Company, a Gold Sponsor of the event, expressed her enthusiasm for the festivities. “We are thrilled to support the Princeton Community Pride Picnic,” she said. “We love how our library brings the town together, giving visibility to and celebrating our LGBTQIA+ neighbors. The event embodies the spirit of diversity and inclusion, and we are honored to be part of the celebration.”

Other picnic sponsors include Main Stage Sponsor Experience Princeton; Silver Sponsors Princeton Public Library and McCarter Theatre Center; Bronze Sponsors HiTOPS, Harlingen Veterinary Clinic, and jaZams; and Community Sponsors Princeton Garden Theatre, WPRB, Tipple and Rose, and The Bagel Nook of Princeton.

The PPL website notes that the goal of the event is to provide “an informal, friendly, and fun kickoff to Pride Month in Princeton, inclusive of people of all ages in and allied with the area’s LGBTQIA+ community.” It adds, “We will come together to party, eat, dance, play, meet new people, and share information and resources in a joyful space where all belong.”

Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and other local dignitaries will attend the picnic, and more than a dozen area nonprofit organizations will have information tables set up, engaging with the community and offering information about the organizations.

Janie Hermann, public programming librarian at the PPL, has led the Pride Picnic Committee, which has collaborated with various organizations and community volunteers in organizing this event.

Following the picnic, across the street at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), another Princeton Pride tradition will be taking place as the ACP Outdoor Pride Dance Party, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the ACP parking lot transformed into an open-air dance party, free and open to participants of all ages. The ACP promises that glow sticks and glitter tattoos will be distributed as long as supplies last.

For more information on the Pride Picnic, including a comprehensive list of participating groups and information on hosting a table at the event, visit princetonlibrary.org/pridepicnic.

Coming up in June will be a number of other Pride Month events, including a Book Brunch at the PPL on Sunday, June 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a panel of Epic Pride authors, highlighting books that focus on LGBTQIAP+ voices and stories; a First Friday Pride Community Breakfast on June 7, 8 to 10 a.m. at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) on 12 Stockton Street; and on Saturday, June 22, the Pride Parade and After-Party, organized by the BRCSJ with support from Bristol Myers Squibb, the New Jersey Education Association, Kyowa Kirin, and the Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation along with other local businesses, organizations, and individuals.

“Our goal as the organizers of Princeton Pride, and in the work we do every day at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, is to make sure that every person, no matter how they identify, who they love, or where they are in their personal journey, feels welcomed, loved, and celebrated,” said BRCSJ Community Organizer and Queer Educator Sara Wasserman. “Pride is about so much more than just a day in June. It started as a protest and continues as a movement to fight for the rights of our LGBTQIA community members who are under direct attack across the country. We create the place and space for everyone to gather, so that we can march in solidarity, and dance in celebration of how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go in our collective fight for equity.”