Community and Fabulous Entertainment Coming this Year

By Gardenia Partridge

It’s been a decade since I joined the team at San Diego Pride supporting our fabulous entertainers. I will never forget the moment I knew this community was home for me. I joined San Diego Pride as a volunteer to create spaces for our community to dance and celebrate their authentic selves. Families and allies celebrating together are among my favorite memories of that first San Diego Pride weekend. The joy and acceptance I saw that first year from community members celebrating their first Pride together reassured me that this is the place where my heart and soul belong.

The San Diego Pride festival is so much more than a party. We believe LGBTQIA+ artists have always been invaluable torchbearers for the LGBTQ civil rights movements providing life-saving representation of LGBTQ experiences that are still not widely found in public media. As the Director of Entertainment, it is an honor to give a platform to more than 300 LGBTQIA+ artists who grace our four entertainment zones each year to help over 55,000 community members celebrate the weekend.

This work provides an opportunity to honor the icons of the future, particularly BIPOC, women, and trans artists, while remembering those who have come before us. The stages of San Diego Pride serve as a vital platform to elevate artists to explore their craft in the arms of their community. Where else can you find the depth of queer talent on blissful display? Creating this space for the community keeps me coming back.

The San Diego Pride Festival will feature three iconic headliners July 20-21. LGBTQIA+ advocate, performer, producer and Broadway star, Todrick Hall will bring his prolific storytelling to the Stonewall stage. Multi-platinum rapper and singer Rico Nasty will bring her signature style combining rap with punk energy, industrial intensity, and just the right amount of heavy metal attitude. Grammy nominated American singer, drummer, and percussionist Sheila E. will round out the iconic lineup of headliners for this special anniversary year. 

My tenure at San Diego Pride has been defined by collaboration and community.  My most joyful moments almost always come from sharing my talents and knowledge. Yet, this community has been my greatest teacher. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing queer artists take the knowledge I share to new heights by owning their power as not only performers, but businesspeople. We invite you to join us in joyful celebration of the LGBTQIA+ artists who are undeniably and unapologetically making history now.