by andrew j stillman
Who said this year’s Pride festivities were done and dusted? They must have forgotten about the 13th annual South Bay Pride set for Saturday, August 21 at Bayfront Park in Chula Vista.
This year’s event is all about embracing our differences while looking to change our future. This particular celebration will be completely self-produced this time.
“We’re happy to actually produce something for the community,” said Joe Burke, the primary organizer for South Bay Pride, which began in 2008. “We’re close to the Gaylord Hotel in that region, so we’re looking forward to turning this into a regional Pride event once that opens.”
Apart from looking into the future, it’s safe to say it feels good to have celebrations like this again. Last year, home-computer screens became the main source of entertainment and interaction, and many people missed the ability to bond with our communities through various in-person events.
This year, the community aspect has a few fun tricks waiting up its sleeve. In honor of National Coming Out Day (October 11 this year), there’s a Pride Ride added into the Pride event area to observe the strength it sometimes takes to simply be who you are. Since South Bay Pride is located right along the bay, there will also be an uptick in aquatic activities like paddle boarding and kayaking. Make sure to take proper precautions before enjoying your day in the sun.
The expansion of this event is thanks, in part, to the upcoming opening of the Gaylord Hotel and the Port of San Diego’s master plan for development along Chula Vista’s harbor.
“We’ve been waiting to go in there,” Burke said. “We did it because of the port’s master plan, and it’s finally happening, so we’re excited about that, too.”
As South Bay Pride continues to grow, Burke said he also hopes to continue expanding community involvement.
“We’re promoting ending the HIV epidemic and the use of PrEP. It’s always something we’ve done — HIV testing at events, community outreach to link people to the proper care, things like that,” he said.
South Bay Pride is a partner with the national plan for ending HIV, so expect some of that to be modeled into this year’s event.
Besides the testing and educational centers, South Bay Pride will also feature stand-alone art and music festivals. It promotes local talent as well as well-known LGBTQ acts, the local food scene, and everything going on in the community that might be otherwise underrated.
“We definitely want to get it bigger,” Burke said. “Once the Gaylord opens, we hope to be a weekend event by 2024.”
The Gaylord Chula Vista Resort is scheduled to be completed by 2023. If all goes well, turning South Bay Pride into a weekend event should be no problem.
“We moved the event so we could establish a footprint there knowing what the port’s master plan was. The South Bay of San Diego is the last bit of the California waterfront that’s getting upgraded. The Chula Vista Harbor is really a hidden gem.”
Although ultimately not chosen, the harbor was scouted as a potential location for events in the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will be in Los Angeles. Maybe it’ll be considered again in the future. In the meantime, let’s enjoy it all to ourselves at South Pay Pride 2021.
For more information, go to southbaypride.org
Andrew J. Stillman is a writer of fantasy stories and freelance content. In his spare time, he makes YouTube videos and explores the world on his travel blog at lifeinanotherworld.com. Follow him @andrewjstillman on all the things.