Capitol Hill Chamber and PrideFest Save Pride Saturday Broadway Street Fair

Just one day after the city notified Capitol Hill Pride organizers that their permit had been denied for the Saturday, June 24th Broadway Pride Street Fair, the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce has announced a partnership with the Broadway Improvement Association and Seattle PrideFest, to organize and produce the Broadway event, in conjunction with the already planned Capitol Hill PrideFest at Cal Anderson Park.

2016 Capitol Hill Pride at the Broadway light rail station. Photo: Adam McRoberts for SGS

The Cal Anderson Park event will be expanded to now include the area around the light rail station and Broadway between E John St. and Roy St.  With competent producers now at the helm, we expect a delightfully fun and exciting Capitol Hill PrideFest, hopefully for many years to come!

The full release from the Capitol Hill Chamber is below.

Capitol Hill Chamber, Broadway Business Improvement Area and PrideFest join forces to organize Capitol Hill Pride Event on June 24^th

Capitol Hill, Seattle—

Today the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) is launching a partnership to work with PrideFest and the Broadway Business Improvement Area (BBIA) board to host next Saturday’s Pride event on Broadway, now called PrideFest Capitol Hill and encompassing the area from Pine Street to Roy Street at the north end of Broadway. This partnership builds upon years of working together on successful community events such as Clean Sweep and Hilloween to ensure the Capitol Hill Pride continues to be an amazing event for visitors, businesses and entertainers.

“Over the past nine years, thousands of people visiting Seattle from throughout the country came to Capitol Hill on the Saturday before the Pride Parade to eat, drink, shop and party,” said Sierra Hansen, Executive Director of the CHCC and Administrator of the BBIA. “This is the biggest day of the year for many of our brick and mortar businesses, and it was our number one priority to ensure the event moved forward. We are confident that PrideFest will organize an amazing event on June 24^th and we encourage everyone to come out, explore the neighborhood and enjoy Capitol Hill.”

“Capitol Hill events during Pride weekend are a huge part of people’s experience of Pride in Seattle,” says PrideFest Executive Director, Egan Orion, whose organization was already planning a major Pride event on Capitol Hill that day. “Even though it’s just 8 days out, we are able to move our activation to Broadway and even expand upon it. There’s already so much good stuff going on with the businesses, bars, and restaurants that all we’re doing is adding to it. Pride Saturday is all about Capitol Hill, and this year the community needs to know that ALL your favorite events will still be happening.”

“Since Bait Shop has been in business, the last Saturday of June has been the busiest day of the year for us BY FAR. With the Seattle Pride Parade being on the last Sunday it made sense and was very successful and great for the community. When we were informed that the date was changing without any input from the local business’ or community we were very disappointed and confused like everyone else,” said Mike Leifur, co-owner of The Bait Shop. “We are very excited that the permit is being reissued and look forward to working with the PrideFest, our neighbors, the BIA and the CHCC to make the 2017 Pride Festival a continued success!”

For this year, if you are a business, organization or individual who paid for a booth with the former event organizer, please request a booth and provide proof of payment at www.pridefest.org/caphill to receive a complimentary space. If you are a brick-and-mortar business located between Pike St and Roy St, you will also receive a complementary space.