History of Gay and Lesbian Life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Events - Pride Celebrations - PrideFest Milw.

Milwaukee PrideFest Timeline

Jump to: Pre-1988   1990   1995   2000   2005   2010  

(click on a year to see more detail on that year's PrideFest)

Year   Dates, Location   Firsts, Stats   Guide
1988 Date: Saturday September 10

Location:
Mitchell Park
(other events throughout the city over the next 2 weeks)

Theme:
"Rightfully Proud"

Attendance: Several hundred people attended
the 2-week-long events

Activities:

  • Softball tournament and picnic at Mitchell Park,
  • Formal ball,
  • Town hall meeting with elected officials,
  • Film festival.

    Firsts:

  • Milwaukee Lesbian/Gay Pride Committee founded
    		•

    (No formal Pride Guide issued; issues of In Step and Wisconsin Light served as Pride Guides)
    1989 Date: Saturday June 17

    Location:
    Cathedral Square (Rally)

    Parade: Two miles from the Walker's Point bar district to Rally

    Theme:
    "Stonewall 20: A Generation of Pride"

    		 Attendance: about 1,000

    Activities:

  • March, 500 sign-carrying people walked the two miles from the Walker's Point bar district to Rally in Cathedral Square, where another 500 people had gathered

    Firsts:

  • Rally moved to Cathedral Square
  • First year as part of International Association of Lesbian/Gay Pride Committees

    Of Note:

  • After issuing proclamations recognizing Pride celebrations, both the mayor and county executive were threatened with recall campaigns initiated by religious-based conservative groups. As a result, the MGLPC march and rally was the opening story on all three major news telecasts and featured on the front page of the Sunday Milwaukee Journal.
    		•

    (No formal Pride Guide issued; issues of In Step and Wisconsin Light served as Pride Guides)
    1990 Dates: June 16

    Location:
    Cathedral Square (Rally)

    Parade: Saturday June 16

    Theme:
    "Look to the Future: The Gay 90's"

    		Attendance:

    Activities:

  • Parade, followed by
  • Rally in Cathedral Square

    Firsts:


    • View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1991 Dates: June 15

    Location: Juneau Park

    Parade: Saturday June 15

    Theme:
    "Together in Pride"

    		 Attendance:

    Firsts:

  • Rally with entertainment and food,
  • creating a festival atmosphere
    		•

    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1992 Dates: June 14

    Location: Juneau Park

    Parade: Saturday June 14

    Theme:
    "The Power of Pride"

    		 Attendance: over 7,000

    Firsts:

  • Two entertainment stages
    		•

    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1993 Dates: June 12+13

    Location: Juneau Park

    Parade: Sunday June 13

    Theme:
    "Forward In Pride"

    		 Attendance: 12,000

    Activities:

  • Concert (Sat. June 12)
  • Festival+Parade (Sunday June 13)

    Firsts:

  • Main celebration over 2 days;
  • Sports area;
  • Youth tent;
  • Rummage sale.
    		•

    (Issues of In Step and Wisconsin Light served as 1993 Pride Guides)
    1994 Dates: June 11+12

    Location:
    Veteran's Park (2-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 12

    Theme:
    "Our Time to Shine"

    		 Attendance:

    Firsts:

  • MLGPC dissolved aand PrideFest incorporated;
  • 2-day Festival relocated to Veteran's Park (north of Art Museum);
  • three stages (including Harvey Milk Stage);
  • exhibits, a few dozen craftspeople and vendors;
  • Classic Car Show;
  • Dance Tent;
  • History Tent;
  • Volleyball Invitational.
    		•

    View PrideGuide select pages
    1995 Dates: Events June 10-11

    Location:
    Veteran's Park (2-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 11

    Theme:
    "Live The Dream"

    		 Attendance: 9,000 (parade)

    Firsts:

  • Fireworks & laser light show (the first for any Pride event in the nation);
  • Fine Arts Festival;
  • Lighted boat parade
    		•


    View PrideGuide select pages
    1996 Dates: June 7-9

    Location:
    Henry W. Maier Festival Park
    (2-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 9

    Theme:
    "Carry The Torch"

    		 Attendance: 9,640

    Firsts:

  • Festival relocated to Henry W. Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds), the first of 14 festivals on the grounds that year;
  • Dubbed "RainFest" due to torrential downpours.

    • View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1997 Dates: June 6-8

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 8

    Theme:
    "Sharing A World Of Difference"

    		 Attendance: 12,278

    Activities:

  • Entertainment on four stages;
  • Presentations and lectures in two activity areas;
  • Miller Lite Volleyball Tournament;
  • Mass Wedding/ commitment ceremony;
  • Over 100 vendors.

    Firsts:

  • Hosted entertainment on four stages;
  • Canvas tent dance area holding 600 people;
  • ABBA tribute band "Bjorn Again" entertains;
  • PrideFest97 website created.

    • View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1998 Dates: August 28-30

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday August 30

    Theme:
    "Many Worlds One Community"

    		 Attendance: 14,478

    Activities:

  • Additional stage,
  • beautiful August weather.

    Firsts:

  • August Festival
    		•

    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    1999 Dates: August 6-8

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday August 8

    Theme:
    "Courage To Build Bridges"

    		 Attendance: 13,455

    Firsts:

  • Headliner Kathy Sledge sang "We Are Family"
  • Pride flag appear in streets of Milwaukee
  • Milwaukee Police Band performs in Parade

    • View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    2000 Dates: June 9-11

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Friday June 9

    Theme:
    "Proud From the Inside And Out"

    		 Attendance:

    Firsts:

  • Debate with the City: is it a March or a Parade?
  • First night parade
    		•

    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    2001 Dates: June 8-10

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Friday June 8

    Theme:
    "People-Pride-Power"

    		 Attendance:

    Firsts: ;

    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    2002 Dates: June 7-9

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3-day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 9
    (see photos)

    Theme:
    "10% Crowd- 100% Proud"

    		 Attendance: 18,604

    Activities:

    Firsts:

  • Parade returns to Sunday
    • 2003 Dates: June 6-8

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3 day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday June 8

    Theme:
    "Our Time to Shine"

    		 Attendance:

    Activities:

  • Headliner: 80's legend Pat Benatar

    Firsts:

  • Financial disaster; PrideFest close to declaring bankruptcy after the 2003 festival

    • (actual size: 4.5" wide x 10" high)
    (100 pages, glossy)
    2004 Dates: June 5+6

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (2 day Festival)

    Parade: -none-

    		 Attendance: 15,807

    Activities:

  • No Parade
  • PrideFest Legacy Angels memorial;
  • Music sensations Kristine W. and Amber

    Firsts:

  • Newly reconstituted PrideFest Board;
  • Reduced to 2 days instead of 3;
  • No Pride Parade for the first time in many years
    		•

    (actual size: 11" wide x 13.75" high)
    (32 pages, newsprint)
    View PrideGuide as PDF file
    (OCR searchable text)
    2005 Dates: June 11+12

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (2 day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday (by separate group)

    		 Attendance:

    Firsts:

  • Pride Parade organized by OutBound magazine;
    		•

    (actual size: 10.5" wide x 14" high)
    (60 pages, newsprint)
    2006 Dates: June 9-11

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park (3 day Festival)

    Parade: Sunday (by separate group)

    		 Attendance: over 23,000

    Activities:

  • Parade again organized by OutBound magazine and the Milwaukee LGBT bars;

    Firsts:

  • Return to 3-day festival;
  • Pride banners hung along Parade route.
    		•

    (actual size: 5.5" wide x 10.25" high)
    (88 pages, newsprint)
    2007 Dates: June 8-10

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park

    Parade: Sunday June 10 (by separate group)

    		 Attendance: over 28,000

    Activities:

    Firsts:

  • PrideGuide printed by Quest magazine
    		•

    (actual size: 8.5" wide x 11" high)
    (48 pages, magazine)
    2008 Dates: June 6-8

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park

    Parade: Sunday June 8(by separate group)

    		 Attendance:

    Activities:

    Firsts:


    (actual size: 8.5" wide x 11" high)
    (52 pages, magazine)
    2009 Dates: June 12-14

    Location:
    Maier Festival Park

    Parade: Sunday (by separate group)

    		 Attendance: approx. 29,800

    Activities:

  • Headliners:

    Firsts:


    • (actual size: 8.5" wide x 11" high)
    (52 pages, magazine)
    2010 Dates: June 11-13

    Location: Maier Festival Park

    		 Attendance: 30,358

    Activities:

  • Headliners Kathy Griffin, Patti Labelle, Joan Rivers;
  • Separate Parade on Sunday

    Firsts:

  • Health and Wellness Area;
  • Dance Stage had a huge LED screen, first of any festival in Milwaukee
    		•

    (actual size: 8.5" wide x 11" high)
    (52 pages, magazine)
    2011 Dates: June 10-12

    Location: Maier Festival Park

    		 Attendance:

    Activities:

  • Headliners ;
  • Separate Parade on Sunday

    Firsts:

  • ;

    		•

    (actual size: 8.5" wide x 11" high)
    (52 pages, magazine)

    Jump to: Pre-1988   1988   1990   1995   2000   2005  

    Credits: original materials contributed by PrideFest and Ted Berg,
    with additional materials provided by the UWM Libraries- Special Collections.
    Website design and arrangement by Don Schwamb.
    Last updated: December-2011.