OGDEN — The inclusive future is going to be Ogden’s present this weekend.

The Ogden Pride Festival is set for its ninth installment Friday through Sunday at the Ogden Amphitheater. This year’s theme is “The future is inclusive.”

According to Sean Childers-Gray, president of the Ogden Pride board of directors, a major change has come to this year’s Pride festivities.

“We have three days of events in one location,” he said. “For the first time, we are in one location at the Ogden Amphitheater.”

And with big changes come new events for the three-day festival.

“First off, we’re hosting a youth night on Friday,” he said. “Our youth night includes a youth talent show where parents and support can come watch the kids and give them the stage. After the talent show, we’re going to kick the parents out and let the kids have their own youth pride dance.”

Doors on Friday open at 5 p.m., with the talent show starting at 5:30 and the dance running from 7-10 p.m. The dance is open to youths ages 12-18.

“On Saturday, we’re doing our first ever Pride concert, and that is a ticketed event for our fundraiser for the year so we can continue our services throughout the year at Ogden Pride,” Childers-Gray said. “That concert is both a rock concert and drag affair.”

Gates open at 4 p.m. for the 5 p.m. show featuring two bands, before the drag show at 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Ogden Pride website: ogdenpride.org.

Sunday — the festival day — will see several events at the amphitheater from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., including two stages of entertainment, a kids zone, food and more than 120 vendors.

Childers-Gray said there will be a wide variety when it comes to vendors and other participants on Sunday.

“We have everything from resources and nonprofit organizations providing information about who they are all the way through merchants,” he said. “We have crafters, we have jewelry, we have two organizations who will have adoptable animals on site. We’ve got a LARPing (live-action roleplaying) group who will be doing demonstrations.”

He added that he’s seen the festival grow exponentially after nearly a decade.

“In year one, we had a handful of vendors just in the amphitheater with between 300-500 people in attendance throughout the day,” he said. “Today we are out in the park fully staffed, the amphitheater is full, we have over 150 vendors, sponsors and activities, and we are looking at an estimated 8,000 in attendance throughout the day for our festival day.”

Pride celebrations, especially this year, come at a politically tumultuous time for the LGBTQ+ community. With many statehouses considering and even passing legislation targeted at groups within the community, Childers-Gray said Pride is especially important at times like these.

“Pride is important for the LGBTQ community,” he said. “At Ogden Pride, our focus is to build safe spaces while we work toward fundraising for opening a community center. Pride is important because it gives us a space to celebrate thriving, surviving and continuing on. Pride started as a riot and it started as a protest against these same things. Back in the Stonewall days, it was illegal to be a drag queen, a drag king or performer like that. It was illegal to frequent bars and be yourself. So today, as we continue to see these legislative attacks against us, we’re reminded that while it seems like a big party, we’re still in a fight for our civic rights.

“Pride is to help us remember where it all started from and that we can continue to build community and do this together. We’re not here to riot, we’re not here to protest in a negative way. It’s a way to celebrate diversity and inclusion. What better way to do that than with Ogden Pride?”

He added that there are no known threats of disruption to this weekend’s festivities, but all measures are being taken to keep patrons safe.

“We work with great organizations, including the Ogden City Police Department, so that when our festival attendees are on site, they are protected,” he said.

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