Greater Babylon coverage is funded in part by The Argyle Theatre, where Broadway comes to Babylon. Click here for tickets to ‘A Bronx Tale,’ performing April 25 to June 16.
June marks LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Babylon Village is bringing back its ultimate pride parade celebration to the downtown.
The Babylon Village Pride Parade will return for its second year on Sunday, June 6 at 2 p.m.
Last year’s parade drew in hundreds of people and dozens of cars rode throughout the downtown — all decked out in rainbow decorations, Pride flags, and with speakers blasting pop music for everyone participating and watching to dance along to.
Parade organizer and local entertainer who goes by Roman said with the rise of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people this past year, the 2021 pride parade in the village holds significance.
“Now more than ever with the way things are going with the Equality Act we have to show our residents they are loved and safe in this place we call home Babylon Village,” Roman said.
The organizer said the village DPA will shut down Deer Park Avenue up to Lily Flanagan’s, and the paraders will loop around back to East Main Street.
An all-out pride celebration within the village will follow the parade until 7 p.m.
As of now, a majority of those who participated last year are signed up for next month’s festivities.
Some leaders from local Gay-Straight Alliances in the surrounding high schools also plan to attend, the organizer said.
Local drag queens and LGBTQ+ artists will be featured throughout the parade.
“It means a lot for us to give them an opportunity to entertain and perform, especially when last year they were out of work given the pandemic,” Roman said.
The organizer said after the success of the village’s first-ever pride parade in downtown, this year it was important to give back to the LGBTQ+ community by getting local LGBTQ+ entertainment and leaders involved.
For Roman, these individuals are the main focus of the event.
“Bob McKeown and I really wanted to make sure that people due to the pandemic that wasn’t able to experience it last year really get to come and take part of this magical moment,” Roman said. “This is a community event, with families and business owners apart of the LGBTQA+ being shown support and acceptance from their hometown.”
Continue to follow greaterbabylon.com for updates and photos from the Babylon Village Pride Parade.
Top: File photo from the inaugural Pride parade in Babylon Village.
