SoMa Pride Parade set to be Little Rock’s First Pride Month event. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 18, 2024) – The Little Rock LGBTQIA+ community called, SoMa 501 will answer on June 1 with its inaugural Pride Parade and Street Festival. “Every year in October, our friends and partners at Central Arkansas Pride (CAP) host an outstanding Pridefest that has been getting bigger and better, but so many people ask, ‘Why don’t we have an event in June during Pride Month?’” said Elizabeth Michael, SoMa 501 executive director. “We’re working with SoMa business owners and neighbors, LGBTQIA+ community members and allies, CAP, and others to plan a June event in addition to Pridefest in the fall.” June has been designated National Pride Month in observance of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, which is seen as the tipping point for the LGBTQIA+ rights movement. October is LGBTQIA+ History Month and October 11 is National Coming Out Day, established to observe the second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. “The cooler weather in October is a plus for Pride organizers in southern states,” said Dolores Wilk, executive director of Central Arkansas Pride and one of the SoMa Pride organizers. “Our mission is to educate, inspire and unite. We are extremely excited to partner with SoMa 501 to bring the Little Rock LGBTQIA+ community and allies an opportunity to be visible and celebrate Pride in June. We will continue PrideFest in October to celebrate LGBTQIA+ History Month and the movement.” SoMa Pride will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 1 and will feature a parade, over 100 vendors, a kid’s zone, entertainment by local LGBTQIA+ artists, and food and beverage areas. Visit https://www.somalittlerock.com/somapride to sign up to be a vendor, register your group or company to march in the parade, or be a sponsor of the event. To make the event accessible to as many as possible, booth/vendor space may be purchased on a sliding scale based on the ability to pay, organizers said. Central Arkansas Pride is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and volunteer-based group that has been building a welcoming community for LGBTQIA+ Arkansans for more than 11 years. We come together to celebrate the history and culture of Arkansas’s LGBTQIA+ community through Pride events and programming that inspire, strengthen, and unite. SoMa 501 (formerly Southside Main Street Project, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing economic development, public relations, historic integrity, and quality of life for the citizens of the SoMa District in Little Rock. As an accredited Main Street Arkansas program, we work with our local businesses, government partners, and other stakeholders to deliver events, improvement projects, and programming for the benefit of everyone who visits our stretch of Main Street. Vision: SoMa 501 strives for a vibrant and diverse South Main Street where residents, local businesses, and visitors alike feel welcome and engaged in the community. Mission: SoMa 501 contributes to an eclectic and dynamic South Main Street by championing its economic interests, celebrating and protecting its history, and cultivating an exceptional downtown experience for all who come to live, work, play, and be in our vibrant, neighborly community. Visit us at https://www.somalittlerock.com/somapride or follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date on announcements and events.
