BOZEMAN — The first Pride festival in Bozeman in more than 10 years is taking place this week, and many different businesses in town are participating.
“We’ve got a great history with the drag community,” said Lisa, the general manager of the Eagles Club in downtown Bozeman.
She says on May 20, they’ll be hosting two drag shows.
“It’s going to be a dry show, so no alcohol,” said Lisa. “That gives our sober community a little peace of mind and it’s 18 and older.”
The shows are a part of Bozeman’s pride week that kicked off on May 15 and continues with evening events throughout the week, including a queer comedy show, a neon party on Friday, a “pride stroll,” resource fair, block party, and more.
“It’s been about 12 years since we’ve had a pride festival in Bozeman,” said Keldon Joyner.
Joyner works for the non-profit that is organizing the pride festival called the “Countship of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the State of Montana”.
“We looked at the political climate right now and the queer community is under attack,” said Joyner. “Looking at that, we said, ‘This is the year, no matter what, we’re going to make it happen’.”
He says they plan on making the Pride festival an annual event and they’ve worked hard to be sure people of all ages and identities can find an event they can connect with.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Lisa.
A full list of events can be found on the Bozeman Pride 2023 Facebook page.
