Pride on the Shore brings LGBTQ stars to Pittsburgh's North Side

Pittsburgh has hosted many Pride celebrations over the years, and now another one has been added to the list. Pride on the Shore brings the party to the city's North Side at Stage AE, with some big-name performers alongside local talent.

On the main stage for the event will be Grammy-award nominee Jessie J. She will be supported by RAYE, Monique Heart, DJ Pennywild, and a competitor from the 2018 season of The Four, VINCINT.

Other performers, including drag talent, will include a free pre-show party with Luna Skye and Indi Skies of S&S Productions, as well as Akasha L. Van Cartier, October, Paris Young Boutte, Dynasty, Dixie Surewood, Ser, Miss V, Venus Doom, Cindy Crotchford, Eddie Alabaster, Annasteezia, Alexa Van Cartier, Cherri Baum, Kat De Lac, Calipso, Leia Way Lestat, Apothic Said, Maxi Pad, Pissy Mattress, House of Khan, Tootsie Snyder, Alora Chateaux, Soft Boy, Phoenix Fatal, Lola LeCroix, and Scarlet Fairweather.

The event is being organized by Nick Staples, founder of Imagination Entertainment, who is producing the event, along with PromoWest North Shore. A portion of tickets sales will be donated through a charity partnership with Proud Haven, an LGBTQ organization in Pittsburgh.

There will also be an official after-party at Stage AE where Trixie Mattel, drag queen, musician, and entrepreneur, will perform. For this portion of the festivities, guests will have to purchase a second ticket that is separate from the one that provides access to mainstage performances like Jessie J.

“This really was a collaborative effort between many groups in the community to put together a Pride event that was to the level some folks have come to expect while also balancing accessibility and giving back to the community. Something that had been missing from Prides in the past,” says Jim Sheppard, co-creator of QBurgh, who is one of the sponsors of the event.

Sheppard and his business partner Jeff Freedman have made efforts to try to stop Pittsburgh's Delta Foundation from owning the rights to "Pittsburgh Pride" and "Pittsburgh PrideFest," which Delta filed a trademark for in 2020 after they announced they were dissolving. Delta's Pittsburgh PrideFest events were widely criticized for being too corporate.

Other Pride events have been held in Pittsburgh over the years as alternatives to Delta Foundations' yearly Pride events, including Roots Pride, a Black-led Pride celebration, and People’s Pride, started by SisTersPGH founder Ciora Thomas.

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Pride on the Shore. 6 p.m. Fri., June 3. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $64-99. prideontheshorepgh.com