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Photos from former Charlotte Pride events.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade returns to Uptown Charlotte August 20th and 21st.
Grammy Award-winning pop artist Daya will headline the Charlotte Pride Main Stage, presented by Truist, on Saturday, Aug. 20. Daya, a Pennsylvania-bred multi-instrumentalist has achieved several industry triumphs, including her Grammy Award for her nine-times-platinum Chainsmokers collaboration “Don’t Let Me Down,” earning gold certification for her debut album Sit Still, Look Pretty, opening for the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and MARINA, and headlining her own tour. Her newest release, The Difference, finds Daya pushing into moodier and more minimalist sonic terrain while spotlighting the radiant vocal presence that’s long made her an in-demand featured artist.
Daya has also been an outspoken advocate for and a member of the LGBTQ community, performing at major Pride events like the 2019 WorldPride Opening Ceremony in New York City.
“I want to do whatever I can to normalize queer relationships and queer stories, and help lesser-known queer artists get more visibility in the mainstream,” says Daya, who also works with GLAAD and the Trevor Project. “When I came out I was lucky enough to have really supportive family and friends around me, and now I want to help move the needle for anyone who maybe doesn’t have it as easy as I did.”
Opening entertainment on the Charlotte Pride Main Stage will include Siena Liggins, the Atlanta-based artist who is quickly making a name for herself in the pop music space. Liggins brings a playful, artistic, and relatable energy to the forefront with lyrics mirroring her experience as a woman and queer artist. Her music offers a safe space that indulges, thrills, and hits the spot for listeners who also break the binary construct and the masses alike. Siena has been featured in Paper, FADER, Billboard, Refinery29, and more, along with playlists like Spotify’s New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, New Fire, and the cover of Tidal’s Rising: Pop playlist.
The Charlotte Pride Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21 in the PNC Bank Festival Zone on S. Tryon St. between Fourth St. and Good Samaritan Way.
Other featured activations in the festival zone include the Charlotte Pride Community Stage presented by Truliant Federal Credit Union, the Charlotte Pride VIP Experience presented by McDonald’s, a health fair presented by Amity Medical Group and Rx Clinic Pharmacy, and the Charlotte Pride Youth & Family Zone presented by Equitable, with support from Microsoft and Time Out Youth.
The Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade will be held on N. Tryon St. on Sunday, Aug. 21, 1-4 p.m.
This year’s events come back to Uptown for the first since 2019, due to a pandemic hiatus. The 2019 event attracted more than 200,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, with organizers planning to exceed those attendance numbers this year.
More event details, VIP pass purchases, host hotels, volunteer signups, and more can be found online at https://charlottepride.org.
© 2022 WCCB Charlotte's CW.
