From Milwaukee With Pride: A History of the LGBT Pride Observance

The Gay People's Union was the first organization in Milwaukee to host an event that had Pride appeal, with over 350 people attending the GPU Ball in 1974. Other dances and parties were hosted in the years that followed, but it wasn't until after the 1987 March on Washington that the Pride Movement took a strong hold in Milwaukee.

The first official Pride events were hosted by the Milwaukee Lesbian/Gay Pride Committee in 1988, complete with a softball tournament and picnic at Mitchell Park, a formal ball, town hall meeting with elected officials and a film festival. Several hundred people participated in the week-long events.

In June 1989, the MLGPC organized a march and approximately 500 sign-carrying people walked the two miles from the Walker's Point bar district to Cathedral Square for a rally where another 500 people had gathered.

This particular event generated a great deal of controversy in the City of Milwaukee, mainly because the proclamation issued by Mayor John Norquist ended with the words, "We are proud of who you are."

Both the mayor and county executive were threatened with recall campaigns initiated by religious-based conservative groups. By the end of the day, the MLGPC march and rally was the opening story on all three major news telecasts and featured on the front page of the Sunday Milwaukee Journal. The city could not ignore its LGBT citizens because the LGBT community would no longer allow it.

The march and rally were held at Cathedral Square again in 1990. In 1991, 1992 and 1993 the rally was moved to Juneau Park along the lakefront, an area that could accommodate the growing crowds. Entertainment and food were added, creating a festival atmosphere.

In 1994, the original MLGPC was dissolved and the new PrideFest was incorporated. Having outgrown the Juneau Park area, PrideFest moved to Veterans Park featuring exhibits, three stages, a few dozen craftspeople and vendors, and a full two days of activities. This was repeated for PrideFest '95 with the addition of the "Light Up the Sky with Pride" pyrotechnic and laser light show. PrideFest was the first Pride event in the nation to host its own fireworks display.

The year 1996 found PrideFest moving again, this time to the spacious Henry W. Maier Festival Park, the best festival facility in the U.S. With permanent stages complete with professional lighting, food buildings, vendor pavilions and support from the staff of Milwaukee World Festivals, Inc., the managing body of the park, PrideFest joined 14 other festivals that used the park for their events. In fact, PrideFest had the distinct honor in 1996 of kicking off the festival season for Milwaukee, which has the unofficial slogan, "City of Festivals." The hours were expanded to 2 days. Despite a stationary cold front, complete with driving torrential rains, 9,640 brave souls attended. The 1996 festival has been fondly remembered as "RainFest" ever since.

A record crowd of 14,478 people attended PrideFest '98. Not only were the festival grounds expanded to include another premier stage, for the first time PrideFest had August dates. The date change was necessary to accommodate the 95th Harley-Davidson Anniversary Celebration, which had been scheduled years in advance to occur in June. Fortunately, the month of August had five weekends in 1998, making way for a late summer Pride celebration. The incredible August weather played well to the success of this banner year.

PrideFest was fortunate again in 1999 to have August dates. This time it was due to the five weekends that fell during the month of July. African World Festival, one of the other festivals that used the grounds, opted to take late July dates rather than their traditional first weekend in August, giving PrideFest the opportunity to have another late summer celebration. Despite thunderstorms in surrounding counties, only a few showers fell on the festival on Saturday, with the weather clearing again in time for the Sunday parade. 13,455 attendees passed through the gates and enjoyed three days of camaraderie. The headliner for the festival was Kathy Sledge and her "We Are Family" echoed in the community for many months thereafter.

With only four weekends in the months of July and August, PrideFest 2000 returned to the traditional Pride observance month of June. The festival continued to expand that year as well as in 2001 and 2002, with national performers such as Ce Ce Peniston and the Kinsey Sicks. Attendance grew too, rising to a record 18,604 in 2002.

The year 2003 brought even further expansion of the grounds with a new stage area to feature 80's legend Pat Benatar. Additional advertising was arranged in the Chicago and Minneapolis markets, and the festival was poised to rise to a new level. Unfortunately, expectations for increased attendance did not materialize and the festival sustained a debt of nearly $150,000. The festival was in dire straits.

In the fall of 2003, a diverse group of community members pulled together an advisory group to chart the festival's options. Led by the Cream City Foundation (CCF), the PrideFest Task Force was formed to forge ahead with a plan to reduce the debt and produce a festival for 2004. The community had come too far to let the festival end so tragically.

An appeal for help was made and through amazing generosity, a group of people affectionately called the PrideFest Legacy Angels donated nearly $60,000 to pay down some of the debt. Their devotion to the mission of PrideFest helped create a belief that the festival could rise again.

The PrideFest Production Team and the Task Force donated thousands of hours to move forward with planning. The festival was reduced to two days and its budget was pared down to its most vital elements. Despite this, nearly 15,807 people attended and enjoyed an entertainment lineup that included national music sensations Kristine W. and Amber.

Under near perfect skies all weekend, the festival had a rebirth of dramatic proportions. The community had truly stepped forward to support the festival. With continued commitment, PrideFest will celebrate the vibrancy and energy of the LGBT community for years to come!