2019 PrideFest Breaks Record and Puts Iowa on the National Stage

Des Moines – On Sunday, June 9, Capital City Pride (CCP) concluded its 41st PrideFest weekend with a record 25,000-30,000 in attendance. The festival weekend included a broad range of events meant to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ community and its allies.

“This year’s PrideFest was such a huge success, and we are overwhelmed at the outpouring of support for this event,” said Dan Jansen, President, Capital City Pride. “We couldn’t have done it without the help of our Platinum Sponsors, 107.5 KISS FM, Collins Community Credit Union, and Wells Fargo, our 300 volunteers, and our 100 vendors. Each made this weekend an unforgettable experience that will be remembered and celebrated.”

New events this year included the 10-Years of Love Reception with the presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg; Meet the Candidates with seven presidential candidates; Kids and Family Zone with Blank Children’s Hospital and UnityPoint Health; and a Fitness & Health Zone with Pride Sports League.

This year’s events were also covered by more than 100 members of the press from CNN, ABC News, Washington Post, and many more.

“With this event, we were extremely excited to have the opportunity to highlight the diversity and inclusion of Iowa’s LGBTQ community to the entire nation,” said Jason Van Wyk, Marketing & PR Director, Capital City Pride. “We could not have broken our attendance record without our local media who covered our events and interviewed members of our board to build anticipation for the weekend.”

Capital City Pride will host its 42nd PrideFest on June 12-14, 2020 in the East Village. To learn more about CCP’s programming throughout the year, join CCP’s email newsletter at www.capitalcitypride.org.