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Pride Shakedown – Be Free Nightlife Party with Saucy Santana
Location: The Bank, 3120 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW
Time: 1:00 p.m.
– 3:00 a.m.
SATURDAY
Torchbearers Event: A Queer Legacy of Care Town Hall and Dance Party
Location: The Starling Atlanta Midtown Hotel, 188 14th St. NE
Time: 2:00 p.m. Our annual weekend brings together thousands of people from across the nation to celebrate identity, build community, and create lasting change.
Unity
Bringing together diverse voices in one powerful celebration of Black LGBTQ+ identity.
Empowerment
Creating spaces for growth, leadership, and positive change in our communities.
Pride
Celebrating the beauty, resilience, and contributions of Black LGBTQ+ individuals.
2024 Pride Weekend Events
Opening Concert
Kick off the weekend with performances by top Black LGBTQ+ artists and allies.
September 1, 2024 • 7:00 PM
Grand Parade
Join thousands in our signature parade celebrating Black Pride through downtown Atlanta.
September 2, 2024 • 12:00 PM
Educational Summit
Workshops and panels on health, wellness, advocacy, and community building.
September 3, 2024 • 10:00 AM
Community Mixer
Network and connect with community leaders, activists, and new friends.
September 2, 2024 • 6:00 PM
Drag Spectacular
Celebrate drag artistry with performances by Atlanta's most talented queens and kings.
September 3, 2024 • 8:00 PM
Community Service
Give back through volunteer opportunities that strengthen our neighborhoods.
September 4, 2024 • 9:00 AM
Experience the Magic
Watch highlights from our 2023 celebration
Community Voices
"Black Pride ATL isn't just an event - it's a homecoming.
– 8:00 p.m.
Photograph by Phillip Bigby/GEORGIAVOICE
Duncan Teague was feeling cute after primping for his debut in Atlanta’s Black gay social scene in August 1984, but the recent college graduate from Kansas soon learned he was underdressed for a backyard soiree hosted by Henri McTerry.
“When I came out of the bedroom and went into the living room, I asked them, Why are y’all dressed like y’all are going to church? and they said, What in the hell do you have on?” recalls Teague, who now serves as minister for the Abundant Love Unitarian Universalist Congregation in West End.
“They re-dressed me. Every year, I'm reminded of the power of our community."
M
Marcus J.
Community Leader
"The energy, the love, the acceptance - Atlanta Black Pride changed my life and gave me a community I never knew I needed."
T
Taylor R.
First-time Attendee
"As a performer, there's no stage like Black Pride ATL.
The audience's love and support is unmatched."
Celebrating Black LGBTQ+ identity, building community, and creating positive change in Atlanta and beyond.
And all weekend you can do good while having fun, as most events will be donating a portion of the weekend’s proceeds to support homeless LGBTQIA+ youth and people affected by HIV/AIDS through The Vision Community Foundation.
Pride organizers say this year’s events are designed to build safe spaces and provide much-needed support for Atlanta’s most vulnerable LGBTQIA+ populations.
See you in these Atlanta streets!
FRIDAY
4th Annual Black Excellence Influencers’ Dinner
Location: The Starling Atlanta Midtown Hotel, 188 14th St.
NE
Naked Hustle The Annual All Girl Day Party
Location: Onyx Gentlemen’s Club, 1888 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
Location: Truth Midtown Restaurant and Lounge, 657 Antone St.
NW
Time: Noon – 7:00 p.m.
Disco Heat: A Sylvester Musical Tribute
Location: The Atrium, 5479 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m.
SUNDAY
R&B Poetry and Mental Health & Wealth Brunch
Location: The Starling Atlanta Midtown Hotel, 188 14th St NE
Time: Noon – 3:00 p.m.
Trans Life Awards Dinner
Location: The Starling Atlanta Midtown Hotel, 188 14th St NE
Time: 6:00 p.m.
To celebrate Black Pride in Atlanta this weekend, we’ve rounded up a variety of events full of joy, remembrance, and love.
Black Atlanta Pride started in 1996, and each year it’s just gotten bigger and better. – 6:00 p.m.
MONDAY
Forever I Love Atlanta: The Annual All White Finale
Location: Opium, 990 Brady Avenue NW
Time: 10:00 p.m.
They wouldn’t let me wear the little picnic outfit I had on because I dressed like I was going to a damn picnic.”
There were at least 200 immaculately attired attendees at McTerry’s barbecue that weekend. “I had never seen an outdoor event during the daylight in somebody’s backyard with this many Black gay men—it was astounding.”
Photograph by Phillip Bigby/GEORGIAVOICE
Photograph by Phillip Bigby/GEORGIAVOICE
Photograph by Phillip Bigby/GEORGIAVOICE
Teague would learn McTerry’s picnic was one of many Black gay gatherings occurring across the city every Labor Day, and those parties created a 40-year legacy of Black queer folks from across the country flocking to Atlanta during the final weekend of summer.
In the Life Atlanta (ITLA) was the first group to formalize the Labor Day celebrations into Black Gay Pride in 1996, by supplementing the weekend of partying with health workshops, poetry slams, panel discussions, and, occasionally, a march through Atlanta’s streets. “We weren’t different or better than people who clearly came here for the bathhouse or clubs, but we really came for the whole cultural experience of what Black Gay Pride was about,” says Raymond R.
Oquendo-Duke, former president of ITLA.
Atlanta has reigned supreme on the national Black LGBTQ+ Pride circuit by attracting stars like Nicki Minaj and Brandy and by evolving into a bona-fide summer festival with food and retail vendors in Piedmont Park—as LGBTQ+ families sprawl across picnic blankets like they once did in McTerry’s backyard.
Melissa Scott, owner of the promotion group Traxx Girls, which produces the Pure Heat Community Festival that is also part of the weekend, says, “Black people in Atlanta thrive, and so, when people come here, you get to feel the energy and the positivity of successful, educated people of color.”
This article appears in our October 2020 issue.
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BLACK PRIDE ATLANTA
Celebrating Unity • Embracing Diversity • Empowering Community
Our Story
For over two decades, Black Pride Atlanta has been a beacon of hope, celebration, and empowerment for the Black LGBTQ+ community in the South.
– 3:00 a.m.
Just Vibe Twin Adult Field Day
Location: Piedmont Park
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
13th Annual Pure Heat Community Festival
Location: Piedmont Park
Time: Noon – 8:00 p.m.
Youth Festival
Location: Piedmont Park
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Witnessing such a gathering unlocked a new world for Teague.
“They were so beautiful,” Teague breathlessly remembers.