LAFAYETTE, La. — Pride Acadiana—a giant party for the LGBTQ+ community of Acadiana.
"First year, it was just over one block," said TayTay Love Bonet, Miss Acadiana Pride of 2024.
Now in its fourth year, Pride Acadiana has seen some significant growth.
"2021 was the first year that we did it. We didn't close any streets. We probably had about three- to 600 people, total, come out. Last year, we were probably closer to 4,000, and already this year, it's busier," said Brandi Ortiz, the executive director of Acadiana Queer Collective.
To match that growth in popularity, Acadiana Queer Collective continued to add new features to meet the celebration's needs.
"There's a lot of new stuff. Our stage is all local, queer artists, all day long...and we have cooling stations. So, we have some wind tunnels and a misting tent...and we've got a lot more vendors this year," Ortiz said.
But, why is this celebration so popular?
"I think Pride Acadiana is so important to the community because it's about togetherness, it's about openness, and it's about love," said Austin Sarver, one of the prideful party-goers.
"If you look down the street, you see smiling faces, people coming out, being exactly who they are without worry," said Tracy Fabre, the treasurer of PFLAG Acadiana.
"We are all one, and for us to be able to celebrate it all together is beautiful. It's a really beautiful thing. It's just like—it reminds me of of the colors in the spectrum of the rainbow," said Latarsha Howard, another prideful party-goer.
"Our kids meet other families that are like ours—families with two moms, two dads. This is a place where we can bring our kids and show them what pride's all about," said Tiffany Street-Ward, a prideful party-goer with her child sitting on her shoulders.
