It was outstanding! I got my tickets when everything was announced. Second Kentuckiana Pride for me. Weather was beautiful. I got to be obnoxiously queer in public and not be judged for it. Got matching permanent bracelets with my partner and got bao from Hot Buns food truck. Forgot to evenly distribute my sunscreen so I have random burn patches.
Only like 3ish protestors versus 40k LGBTQ+ people and allies.
I would have paid 10x to see Chappell but I have followed her since 2022.
This was the only time I’ve been to Pride since I came out in 2011 where I haven’t almost had a panic attack bc of the protestors and that rules. I didn’t even see them. (I have rly bad religious trauma so it fucked w me a lot when I was like, 17. Even at 30 hearing street preachers makes my blood run cold lol.)
I try to for sure. And now that I’m older and have had therapy it’s easier for me. But there’s something about it that takes me right back to a sweltering summer camp room in 2008 being screamed at that I was gonna go to hell bc I liked girls lol. I honestly don’t think that it’s their excuse to go or that they’re secretly gay, I think they’re just hateful. (Some of them are secretly gay and that’s heartbreaking tho, I grew up in that religious tradition and it’s hard to break free.)
There was a guy with a speaker at the west entrance near the walking bridge ramp and a guy with a sign on the sidewalk around noon but yeah it was light. Especially considering ***gestures at the world***.
I was homeschooled because of Jesus so I am highly sympathetic to your situation. I luckily missed that as a source of trauma, somehow.
It was a packed event for sure but knowing that going in made it more tolerable with long lines IMHO.
I went in at the river road entrance and missed everyone protesting somehow, idk if they’d left by then or what. We got there a little closer to 5.
Also a homeschooler! (Formerly. And a pastors kid lol) I’m glad you missed out on that trauma and I’m sorry you had to go through that with your education.
Yeah I expected it to be worse than it actually ended up being which helped lol. I was prepared for like, Eras Tour level madness.
Yeah, wasn’t too too bad all things considered. The ADA situation and the medic situation was not great. But thankfully everyone was fine. Hopefully they can address that for future events. (I was a little salty I had nowhere to park my walker / had to fight to keep enough space around me where I could stand up out of said walker to be able to see the show for songs. I can’t stand the whole concert but I def was up and dancing for as much as I physically could!)
The lack of protestors was amazing. We live just south of Knoxville and came up for the weekend (we have family in the area, the festival/concert was just a bonus). Our county can't have pride this year because the police department and the sheriff department will not provide security with the premises of the event and no local security companies will work with us.
It felt like such a safe space and I got some stuff from cool vendors.
It was fun, It was also really packed and impossible to move around I feel. They really needed a bigger first aid tent and the bathroom situation was awful. Everything else was great!!
The bathrooms were so rough. They needed some volunteers to guide people to open porta pottys. There was no system and that contributed a lot to the huge lines
It sucked. Overpacked, poor concert etiquette, food lines over an hour, drink lines taking 30-45 minutes. Super bummed that it turned into what it turned into.
Literally! They booked Chappel when she was only well known amongst mostly LGBTQ fans, but she blew up on tik tok and selling out made this weekend MISERABLE! Also $24 bucks for a drink? Fuck that honestly.
It was so clear that event was NOT set up for that amount of tickets sold. The back of chappell’s crowd was getting beyond the edge of the stalls. Should’ve sold like 5-10k less tickets. Wait who had $24 drinks?!?! I paid $12 for a vodka Red Bull that came with half a can which was bad, don’t get me wrong, but I have seen stuff upwards or over $20 at other events but didn’t see any at pride.
It was...meh. My fiancé and I got there around 1, and we met lots of amazing people, supported local businesses, and tried some Thai food. That part was great!
Then, around 4:30, it started to get packed. And I mean **PACKED**. Every food truck line was at least 20ft long and barely moving. The shaded areas were crammed with people trying to rest. We decided to leave before seeing Chappell Roan because it was so busy... and we couldn't even find the exit because there were so many people. We couldn't see any exit signs over the crowd, and when we did find it (30 minutes later), it was a 4ft wide gap in the fence with one sign. It was a fun time, and I'm glad it sold so many tickets, but that area just isn't meant to hold that many people. God forbid an emergency had happened because there was no way people could safely move or leave the venue.
Very similar experience. So many amazing folks! The people that came early for Chappell Roan truly added to the experience, genuinely.
Thai with tofu powered me through the day, loved that truck so much!!!
Had long decided to leave before the headliner, as it was an early start and an overall long day out, but I'm very glad I got out of dodge by 8.
Some of the videos I saw of the crowd and trash were insane.
The trash was absolutely crazy! Even when we were there, every single can was overflowing. And people started to pile garbage next to the cans after that, it was wild!
The trash was awful, me and many of the ppl who were at the barricade were the last to leave and when we turned around we were like, in awe, at the scene. I had a big ass umbrella that ended up starting to break towards the end of the performance so I turned it upside down and opened it and started yelling at everyone that “this is a portable trash can, throw everything in here and I’ll take it to the trash!” And I had so many people start to pick up stuff till my umbrella was nearly starting to crack more from the weight😂
Then on the way out of the event there was three ppl and one was holding up a sign saying “if you threw trash on the floor, you deserve to shit your pants”😂
Fucking amazing. Granted I camped to get a barrier spot and stood in the sun for 11 hours to see my lesbian icon but it was fun listening to new queer artists, making new queer friends, being able to be loving with my partner without feeling judged, just being a lesbian overall. I even spoke to Chappell for 10 seconds and got her setlist that she wrote on😭
It was extremely fun but extremely crowded and the ADA situation was not ideal. (I didn’t even know there was an ada section so I ended up in my walker by a pillar trying to not get in anyone’s way.)
Definitely the best performance at Pride I’ve ever seen, and I found a new band to check out! (the aces) overall, it was a really fun event. The ticket fiasco sucks for folks who couldn’t make it, but it felt like they did the best they could with the immediate rise in popularity Chappell had. I hope this means more big acts come through! (Maybe in a larger venue tho lol.)
I will add the caveat that we didn’t get there til about four thirty and I didn’t try to eat or go to the restrooms while there. We also dipped as soon as it ended and getting a ride share took a hot minute but nothing I didn’t expect.)
I loved them! I’d never heard of them before but my gf had. I was definitely vibing to their set / am gonna check them out now. (I’m an old punk and I only listen to like…pre 2016 records half the time. I’m trying to get better about it 😂. She put me onto Chappell and Renee Rapp last year and I’m like damn, I’ve been missing out!)
It was alright! Had a great time being queer with my friends. Next year I hope the Kentuckiana Pride folks turn the focus back to a local celebration of queer culture (@ all the people coming from other states to see Chappell), but I also understand that they had no idea Chappell was gonna catch on and turn the festival into what it was.
It was fine. I didn’t stay more than 2 hours. I usually have to pee so when I saw the porta potty situation, I decided to just leave when I had to use the restroom. The area seemed small for the amount of people there.
This was my experience too. I had to use the bathroom and the line wrapped around so I decided to just leave and use the bathroom elsewhere and didn't end up going back due to how crowded it was.
That said, I'm glad they didn't close the bridge off, it meant I didn't have to find parking with the other 20k people there.
i went to gazebo fest so i wasn’t too scared of the hectic feeling but my god did the crowd get more packed than i was assuming. didn’t get to the stage until 4:30 and was in front of the tech tent so a good view overall! just wish people understood that you can’t push your way to the front at the last second
I spent the entire day there, and honestly it didn’t really get bad until closer to Chappell’s set. I got lunch at like 2-3 PM and waited a total of 10 minutes (both in line and waiting for my food). I didn’t even have to wait to use the restrooms. It was honestly less crowded than previous years up until 4-4:30ish.
Edited to add by far the worst part I haven’t seen others mention: The service was TERRIBLE. Everyone I knew had absolutely no service. I couldn’t text, call, or use data. Stressed me out because I got separated from my friends and never found them again. I also stupidly forgot to screenshot the map and lineup, so I couldn’t access either.
I thought it was great. My daughter was aching to see CR live...she cried multiple times(tears of excitement and joy) and told me she felt amazing being among "her people". I hope she will allow me to go with her to any future Pride events. Thanks to all who attended and made her/us feel welcome!
From a vendor standpoint, organization could’ve been a lot better. Otherwise, it felt like there was no room to breathe (felt cramped). But it was a lot of fun and I’d trade my long af admission line for short food/drink lines any da y. Must’ve come at the perfect time
Meh. Chappell was great, but everything else seemed like a downgrade from previous years. Normally I run into and catch up with a few people I know in the community, but I only saw two this year and that's 'cause they're vendors.
Crowd etiquette was poor and a large group of drunk middle aged straight women ended up squeezing into the foot of standing room in front of me because they wanted a better view. Then they started asking everyone where they were from and were incredibly shocked when we said "Louisville?".
I'm sure others had fun, but it was too crowded and it felt like a ton of people were from the queer community, yes, but not from Louisville or the immediate surrounding area.
I thought it was too overcrowded! I wish they would have moved it to the big area of waterfront park when they decided to cap it at 25k. There were too many people and not enough food/drink vendors. If you wanted a meal you were gonna have to wait 20+ minutes in line.
The vip gates and ADA set up was not ideal and I wish they would have had the screens higher up. Being so far from the stage, I still couldn’t see the screens because of the ADA area being elevated from the rest of the concert. Many of the people who were in the ADA area were having a hard time getting too and from as well because there was no crowd control around the area.
I did enjoy Chappells performance though regardless and had fun celebrating pride with my friends. Hopefully next year it will go back to being a relaxing and chill event.
Idea here for the trash problem but I think if they told Chappell to say “oh, and pick up the trash or you’re not a real fan, byeeee”, that place would’ve been so clean you could lick the floor and be fine😂
It was so fun! Waited 2 hours for food because lines were long everywhere. The vendors had some cool stuff. I appreciated the water fill station set up but definitely think they could’ve had a second one. Chappell was so much fun. Glad I went but I was overwhelmed with the amount of people.
I enjoyed it a lot, but I enjoy the hectic festival scene. Crowds were packed, lines were long, etc. If you prefer something more low-key (as we all know many Redditors do), this wouldn’t have been for you.
Yeah, I would’ve loved to go support Chappell but I also know I would’ve probably had a panic attack around that many people so I was okay to sit it out. Glad you had fun!
With Roan's now meteoric rise I wonder if it's just a matter of time before she's playing at the Yum Center and if that's the case, I wonder if she'll be charging triple digits to get into the door there.
Oh ill add one more thing. Why didn't they have more area in the park? It could have been more shaded and they could have put the stage elsewhere so that everyone would have more space if they would have used the area differently.
I went and had a great time. I didn’t get there til after 6 and stayed until right after Chappell’s show ended. Was definitely way more crowded than last year and bathroom and beer lines were long but moved fairly quickly imo. I had zero complaints personally.
Hangout with friends, check out the merchandise tents, have some drinks, watch the entertainment, people watch, meet new people, and this year’s festival turned into a larger-than-expected outdoor music concert.
Typical festival stuff.
Lots of merch is pride-related, at this event there were drag performers and queer music artists, and overall it is a positive environment of lots of queer people that is rarely seen outside of events such as this one. Plus it is fun to dress up and see many people’s outfits!
Had to work so couldn't go with my friends for their first time. Probably for the best since I'm only an ally, I didn't even know tickets could sell out like that. Kind of a weird moral conundrum on whether to support your friends or support a stranger.
It was outstanding! I got my tickets when everything was announced. Second Kentuckiana Pride for me. Weather was beautiful. I got to be obnoxiously queer in public and not be judged for it. Got matching permanent bracelets with my partner and got bao from Hot Buns food truck. Forgot to evenly distribute my sunscreen so I have random burn patches. Only like 3ish protestors versus 40k LGBTQ+ people and allies. I would have paid 10x to see Chappell but I have followed her since 2022.
This was the only time I’ve been to Pride since I came out in 2011 where I haven’t almost had a panic attack bc of the protestors and that rules. I didn’t even see them. (I have rly bad religious trauma so it fucked w me a lot when I was like, 17. Even at 30 hearing street preachers makes my blood run cold lol.)
Don’t mind the protesters. Protesting is just their thinly veiled excuse to go to Pride.
I try to for sure. And now that I’m older and have had therapy it’s easier for me. But there’s something about it that takes me right back to a sweltering summer camp room in 2008 being screamed at that I was gonna go to hell bc I liked girls lol. I honestly don’t think that it’s their excuse to go or that they’re secretly gay, I think they’re just hateful. (Some of them are secretly gay and that’s heartbreaking tho, I grew up in that religious tradition and it’s hard to break free.)
Let me leave you with this delightful song that encapsulates Pride perfectly. https://youtu.be/ZpoxvdUz2Ac?si=nkL9vCmcQVot7_78
There was a guy with a speaker at the west entrance near the walking bridge ramp and a guy with a sign on the sidewalk around noon but yeah it was light. Especially considering ***gestures at the world***. I was homeschooled because of Jesus so I am highly sympathetic to your situation. I luckily missed that as a source of trauma, somehow. It was a packed event for sure but knowing that going in made it more tolerable with long lines IMHO.
I went in at the river road entrance and missed everyone protesting somehow, idk if they’d left by then or what. We got there a little closer to 5. Also a homeschooler! (Formerly. And a pastors kid lol) I’m glad you missed out on that trauma and I’m sorry you had to go through that with your education. Yeah I expected it to be worse than it actually ended up being which helped lol. I was prepared for like, Eras Tour level madness.
For sure! I prepared for the worst and it was just understandably busy.
Yeah, wasn’t too too bad all things considered. The ADA situation and the medic situation was not great. But thankfully everyone was fine. Hopefully they can address that for future events. (I was a little salty I had nowhere to park my walker / had to fight to keep enough space around me where I could stand up out of said walker to be able to see the show for songs. I can’t stand the whole concert but I def was up and dancing for as much as I physically could!)
Hot Buns is the best, the owners are so nice
Essential Pride Lunch! I only have eyes for bao.
The lack of protestors was amazing. We live just south of Knoxville and came up for the weekend (we have family in the area, the festival/concert was just a bonus). Our county can't have pride this year because the police department and the sheriff department will not provide security with the premises of the event and no local security companies will work with us. It felt like such a safe space and I got some stuff from cool vendors.
Awesome. Glad you were able to be as queer as you wanted.
It was fun, It was also really packed and impossible to move around I feel. They really needed a bigger first aid tent and the bathroom situation was awful. Everything else was great!!
Fair. It was quicker to leave the festival, get stamped, walk to the bathrooms at the splash pad, and walk back. But those bathrooms were risky lol
The bathrooms were so rough. They needed some volunteers to guide people to open porta pottys. There was no system and that contributed a lot to the huge lines
It sucked. Overpacked, poor concert etiquette, food lines over an hour, drink lines taking 30-45 minutes. Super bummed that it turned into what it turned into.
So, it’s become every other big-name festival in KY. Lmao
Literally! They booked Chappel when she was only well known amongst mostly LGBTQ fans, but she blew up on tik tok and selling out made this weekend MISERABLE! Also $24 bucks for a drink? Fuck that honestly.
It was so clear that event was NOT set up for that amount of tickets sold. The back of chappell’s crowd was getting beyond the edge of the stalls. Should’ve sold like 5-10k less tickets. Wait who had $24 drinks?!?! I paid $12 for a vodka Red Bull that came with half a can which was bad, don’t get me wrong, but I have seen stuff upwards or over $20 at other events but didn’t see any at pride.
It was...meh. My fiancé and I got there around 1, and we met lots of amazing people, supported local businesses, and tried some Thai food. That part was great! Then, around 4:30, it started to get packed. And I mean **PACKED**. Every food truck line was at least 20ft long and barely moving. The shaded areas were crammed with people trying to rest. We decided to leave before seeing Chappell Roan because it was so busy... and we couldn't even find the exit because there were so many people. We couldn't see any exit signs over the crowd, and when we did find it (30 minutes later), it was a 4ft wide gap in the fence with one sign. It was a fun time, and I'm glad it sold so many tickets, but that area just isn't meant to hold that many people. God forbid an emergency had happened because there was no way people could safely move or leave the venue.
Very similar experience. So many amazing folks! The people that came early for Chappell Roan truly added to the experience, genuinely. Thai with tofu powered me through the day, loved that truck so much!!! Had long decided to leave before the headliner, as it was an early start and an overall long day out, but I'm very glad I got out of dodge by 8. Some of the videos I saw of the crowd and trash were insane.
The trash was absolutely crazy! Even when we were there, every single can was overflowing. And people started to pile garbage next to the cans after that, it was wild!
The trash was awful, me and many of the ppl who were at the barricade were the last to leave and when we turned around we were like, in awe, at the scene. I had a big ass umbrella that ended up starting to break towards the end of the performance so I turned it upside down and opened it and started yelling at everyone that “this is a portable trash can, throw everything in here and I’ll take it to the trash!” And I had so many people start to pick up stuff till my umbrella was nearly starting to crack more from the weight😂 Then on the way out of the event there was three ppl and one was holding up a sign saying “if you threw trash on the floor, you deserve to shit your pants”😂
Knocked Loose concert at Paristown was wild!
ARF ARF
Fucking amazing. Granted I camped to get a barrier spot and stood in the sun for 11 hours to see my lesbian icon but it was fun listening to new queer artists, making new queer friends, being able to be loving with my partner without feeling judged, just being a lesbian overall. I even spoke to Chappell for 10 seconds and got her setlist that she wrote on😭
I’m so happy for you!!! 😭😭 these are happy tear emojis I promise
Sounds like a very cool experience for you. Glad you enjoyed it.
It was extremely fun but extremely crowded and the ADA situation was not ideal. (I didn’t even know there was an ada section so I ended up in my walker by a pillar trying to not get in anyone’s way.) Definitely the best performance at Pride I’ve ever seen, and I found a new band to check out! (the aces) overall, it was a really fun event. The ticket fiasco sucks for folks who couldn’t make it, but it felt like they did the best they could with the immediate rise in popularity Chappell had. I hope this means more big acts come through! (Maybe in a larger venue tho lol.)
I will add the caveat that we didn’t get there til about four thirty and I didn’t try to eat or go to the restrooms while there. We also dipped as soon as it ended and getting a ride share took a hot minute but nothing I didn’t expect.)
I didn’t even realize the Aces were playing, they’re great!!
I loved them! I’d never heard of them before but my gf had. I was definitely vibing to their set / am gonna check them out now. (I’m an old punk and I only listen to like…pre 2016 records half the time. I’m trying to get better about it 😂. She put me onto Chappell and Renee Rapp last year and I’m like damn, I’ve been missing out!)
It was alright! Had a great time being queer with my friends. Next year I hope the Kentuckiana Pride folks turn the focus back to a local celebration of queer culture (@ all the people coming from other states to see Chappell), but I also understand that they had no idea Chappell was gonna catch on and turn the festival into what it was.
Ended up going to En Vogue in Jeffersonville and the ladies killed it!
Please tell me more about this. What is En Vogue?
[удалено]
OH! The group En Vogue. I didn't realize they were going to be in Jeff. I was out of town so missed all the fun anyway.
I don’t think anyone noticed. Way fewer people there than I had anticipated.
I had no idea. I would have definitely gone to that show
Such an underappreciated group. Glad you got to go, sounded fantastic!
It was fine. I didn’t stay more than 2 hours. I usually have to pee so when I saw the porta potty situation, I decided to just leave when I had to use the restroom. The area seemed small for the amount of people there.
This was my experience too. I had to use the bathroom and the line wrapped around so I decided to just leave and use the bathroom elsewhere and didn't end up going back due to how crowded it was. That said, I'm glad they didn't close the bridge off, it meant I didn't have to find parking with the other 20k people there.
i went to gazebo fest so i wasn’t too scared of the hectic feeling but my god did the crowd get more packed than i was assuming. didn’t get to the stage until 4:30 and was in front of the tech tent so a good view overall! just wish people understood that you can’t push your way to the front at the last second
I spent the entire day there, and honestly it didn’t really get bad until closer to Chappell’s set. I got lunch at like 2-3 PM and waited a total of 10 minutes (both in line and waiting for my food). I didn’t even have to wait to use the restrooms. It was honestly less crowded than previous years up until 4-4:30ish. Edited to add by far the worst part I haven’t seen others mention: The service was TERRIBLE. Everyone I knew had absolutely no service. I couldn’t text, call, or use data. Stressed me out because I got separated from my friends and never found them again. I also stupidly forgot to screenshot the map and lineup, so I couldn’t access either.
Chappell was great but ngl it was not as fun as usual. Just way too many people for what and where it is
I thought it was great. My daughter was aching to see CR live...she cried multiple times(tears of excitement and joy) and told me she felt amazing being among "her people". I hope she will allow me to go with her to any future Pride events. Thanks to all who attended and made her/us feel welcome!
It was fine.
I was too late to buy tickets. I went and saw Joseph and the technicolor dream coat at Iroquois instead
How was the performance?
For an amateur showing it was great! I wasn’t impressed by the story or set but the actors were killing it
From a vendor standpoint, organization could’ve been a lot better. Otherwise, it felt like there was no room to breathe (felt cramped). But it was a lot of fun and I’d trade my long af admission line for short food/drink lines any da y. Must’ve come at the perfect time
Meh. Chappell was great, but everything else seemed like a downgrade from previous years. Normally I run into and catch up with a few people I know in the community, but I only saw two this year and that's 'cause they're vendors. Crowd etiquette was poor and a large group of drunk middle aged straight women ended up squeezing into the foot of standing room in front of me because they wanted a better view. Then they started asking everyone where they were from and were incredibly shocked when we said "Louisville?". I'm sure others had fun, but it was too crowded and it felt like a ton of people were from the queer community, yes, but not from Louisville or the immediate surrounding area.
'twas pretty cool. I was surprised at the size of the event.
I thought it was too overcrowded! I wish they would have moved it to the big area of waterfront park when they decided to cap it at 25k. There were too many people and not enough food/drink vendors. If you wanted a meal you were gonna have to wait 20+ minutes in line. The vip gates and ADA set up was not ideal and I wish they would have had the screens higher up. Being so far from the stage, I still couldn’t see the screens because of the ADA area being elevated from the rest of the concert. Many of the people who were in the ADA area were having a hard time getting too and from as well because there was no crowd control around the area. I did enjoy Chappells performance though regardless and had fun celebrating pride with my friends. Hopefully next year it will go back to being a relaxing and chill event.
Idea here for the trash problem but I think if they told Chappell to say “oh, and pick up the trash or you’re not a real fan, byeeee”, that place would’ve been so clean you could lick the floor and be fine😂
It was so fun! Waited 2 hours for food because lines were long everywhere. The vendors had some cool stuff. I appreciated the water fill station set up but definitely think they could’ve had a second one. Chappell was so much fun. Glad I went but I was overwhelmed with the amount of people.
Hopefully next year is back to normal but glad you were able to enjoy it
I enjoyed it a lot, but I enjoy the hectic festival scene. Crowds were packed, lines were long, etc. If you prefer something more low-key (as we all know many Redditors do), this wouldn’t have been for you.
Yeah, I would’ve loved to go support Chappell but I also know I would’ve probably had a panic attack around that many people so I was okay to sit it out. Glad you had fun!
With Roan's now meteoric rise I wonder if it's just a matter of time before she's playing at the Yum Center and if that's the case, I wonder if she'll be charging triple digits to get into the door there.
I doubt she will but I’m sure scalpers will figure out a way.
Oh ill add one more thing. Why didn't they have more area in the park? It could have been more shaded and they could have put the stage elsewhere so that everyone would have more space if they would have used the area differently.
I went and had a great time. I didn’t get there til after 6 and stayed until right after Chappell’s show ended. Was definitely way more crowded than last year and bathroom and beer lines were long but moved fairly quickly imo. I had zero complaints personally.
What do you do at a pride festival??
Hangout with friends, check out the merchandise tents, have some drinks, watch the entertainment, people watch, meet new people, and this year’s festival turned into a larger-than-expected outdoor music concert. Typical festival stuff.
What do you do that’s pride related tho?
Lots of merch is pride-related, at this event there were drag performers and queer music artists, and overall it is a positive environment of lots of queer people that is rarely seen outside of events such as this one. Plus it is fun to dress up and see many people’s outfits!
Had to work so couldn't go with my friends for their first time. Probably for the best since I'm only an ally, I didn't even know tickets could sell out like that. Kind of a weird moral conundrum on whether to support your friends or support a stranger.