CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Pride month celebrations continue in western Massachusetts this weekend.
The Franklin County Pride Parade will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. It starts at Federal Street and Sanderson Street and finishes at Energy Park. There will be a rally with musical performances, speeches, and food trucks from 12:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Congressman Jim McGovern is expected to march in the parade and deliver remarks.
Over in Chicopee on Saturday is the second and final day of the Chicopee Pride Fest.
The Chicopee cultural council, Mass cultural council, and the city of Chicopee sponsor the event to provide the community with a celebration that includes entertainment, vendors, and a park parade. Festivities will take place between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at Szot Park.
This morning also marks the fifth annual Pride Day on the River on the Deerfield River in Charlemont. Residents can celebrate pride month by rafting and kayaking down the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield River. New and experienced boaters alike can spend the day paddling on the Deerfield River and then recharge at the After Party at Zoar Outdoor, where there will be free food, non-alcoholic beverages, free whitewater gear, and other giveaways.
The biggest Pride parade in New England returns to Boston on Saturday after a three-year hiatus. The organization that used to run the event dissolved in 2021 amid criticism. The new group is called Boston Pride for the People. They say this year’s focus will be less on corporate backing and more on social justice and inclusion. Roughly one million people are expected to attend. The parade begins at 11:00 a.m. in Copley Square and ends at the Boston Common.
