Pride In The Park: A Three Generation Family Affair
By: Delilah Bestler
Pride in the Park is an all-ages two-day festival held every June during pride month. It features a diverse lineup of musicians, DJs, and drag performers. This year featured headlining performances by Chaka Khan, Gryffin, and Tiësto. Other musicians included Betty Who, local queer DJ Derrick Carter, and Tracy Young a member of the LGBTQ+ community who’s the first woman to receive a Grammy for “best-remixed recording.
The festival also featured many drag performances including stars like Denali Foxx, The Vixen, Naysha Lopez, and Alyssa Edwards from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race” as well as other local drag performers including Tenderoni, Miss Toto, and Jo MaMa.
For the first day of the event on Saturday morning, Chicago attendees woke up to heavy rainstorms, severe winds, and a tornado warning. Although the festival was delayed by two hours, the time delay couldn’t dampen the Pride in the Park celebration! The place was alive and full of excitement as festival-goers showed up in their rainbow best and gathered under umbrellas or sported see-through ponchos, all-embracing the rain and swampy, muddy grounds.
A Perfect Introduction to EDM Shows
I had attended Pride previously, but this year I decided to bring along both my daughter and mom. I had been introducing EDM to my daughter for many years and as she started to get more into it, she started begging me to take her to festivals. Once I saw the lineup, I thought this would be the perfect introduction to festivals so I got tickets and started planning our outfits. Our outfits included colorful/rainbow attire, light-up shoes, butterfly wings, and of course, face jewels.
On day one, we arrived just after the rain had stopped and just in time to see Betty Who and Tiesto. Betty Who was a blast to watch as she and her dancers got the masses moving and the rainbow flags flying. My daughter was the most excited to see Betty Who, especially once she performed her song “I Love You Always Forever,” which was saved for the very end.
After a quick stage change, Tiësto’s set started. Tiësto came out wearing a Brit-ney Spears shirt showing his open support. The stage was overflowing with lasers, smoke, confetti, and fireworks. The three of us danced all night and had a blast. My daughter sat on my shoulders for her two favorite songs, “Jackie Chan” and “Boom.” She had the biggest smile as she sat on my shoulders dancing and holding my mom’s hands.
A SUNSHINY DAY 2
The sun shined on day two of the Pride in the Park Festival, bringing more excitement! We checked out the local vendors and saw other performances, such as Tenderoni, who did the Powerline routine performing the hit song “Stand Out” from A Goofy Movie.We were up close to the fence with a perfect view of the stage when Chaka Khan showed up. She opened the set with her daughter, Indira Khan, singing her original songs. The Maven herself, Chaka, gave us one classic after another, including “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me,” “Tell Me Something Good,” and “Sweet Thing.” And for her final song, Chaka Khan invited Mila Jam, a trans woman, to share the stage as they both sang the hit song “I’m Every Woman.”
The night closed out with Gryffin who sent the crowd into a frenzy with an amazing light show and visuals. Rainbow confetti and smoke was shot into the air by large cannons. The crowd jumped and headbanged to his remixes that covered “The Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, and “Titanium” by David Guetta featuring Sia.
My daughter started looking overwhelmed by the crowd surrounding us halfway through, so we retreated, a finding reprieve in the open space. There, we continued to dance and play a very entertaining game of tag made interesting as we ran carefully so as not to fall in the very muddy grounds.
ENDING IN MEMORIES
With about fifteen minutes left of Gryffin’s set, we left in the hopes of avoiding traffic and getting some much-needed food. As our two-day adventure came to an end we walked through the gates, already reminiscing the spectacular memories. Over the two days, we got airbrushed tattoos, souvenirs, and all the French fries we could eat.
We were greeted by many people who were utterly shocked that three generations of women were all together at this festival. My daughter got high-fived and received constant compliments. We met some people who took the time to teach her important lessons like how to clack your fan and my rave family taught her how to do the PLUR handshake with Kandi they had made especially for her.
Going to shows and festivals is a huge part of my life and something I genuinely enjoy. I was thrilled to share this with the two of the most important people in my life. If you ever get the chance to invite your loved ones to attend a festival with you, I implore you to do it! It could just become your new family norm.
Check out the rest of my photos from the show in our gallery
