Indy Pride kicks off Sunday after multiple date changes and a pandemic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy Pride organizers say the original date for the annual festival was slated for June 13.

But once the pandemic hit central Indiana, the date was moved to Saturday, June 20 to allow organizers more time to plan a virtual celebration.

Then another change.

Amid weeks of protests over police brutality, the date was moved to Sunday, June 21.

“We do a lot of work with the Indy10 Black Lives Matter group, so we felt it was in both of our best interests to move the date to Sunday,” said Tiffany Hanson, director of communications for Indy Pride.

Hanson says that Indy10 protesters usually take Sunday off to plan and reorganize for the next week so the move made sense.

With multiple date changes and an all-online festival, Indy Pride still has a full day of activities planned.

The festival starts at 2 p.m. with this year’s theme being centering BIPOC voices and leadership. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color.

The day will be a mix of performances, cocktail breaks, meditation classes and interviews, including an interview with the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus.

Singer and author Okara Imani is performing at Indy Pride for the first time and says the coveted spot is a dream five years in the making.

“This has been a goal of mine since college,” Imani said. “Black people and brown people are being centered because there are things that haven’t been heard and I think the making way for that and making that precedent for this year’s pride… it’s more connected to what the community is going through and speaking about.”

For a full schedule of events or to stream the festival live, click here.