HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — Two Long Island towns have revealed plans to kick off their Pride celebrations next month, one for the first time in years and the other for the first time ever.
After a seven-year hiatus, Huntington will have a Pride march on June 11th, according to David Kilmnick, president and CEO of the New York LGBT Network, whose organization is sponsoring it.
Newsday reported that the parade would be followed by a festival at Heckscher Park.
Kilmnick told the outlet that because attendance at the 2016 Huntington parade was low, organizers planned to relocate it. For the next three years, it was held in Long Beach. Then, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the parade was cancelled. In 2021, a hybrid celebration was held in Eisenhower Park, while last year it was held in Farmingdale Village.
"This was our long-term plan, to return to Huntington, and it means a lot: comfort, safety; it's community," Kilmnick said Friday. "We're back someplace where we are welcome."
The LGBT Network is in the process of applying for a parade permit with the town, according to the report. The town board will vote on a resolution to approve the use of Heckscher for a festival at its May 9 meeting.
Meanwhile, Northport Mayor Donna Koch said the city, in partnership with the Northport Chamber of Commerce, will celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month for the first time next month, starting on June 1, with a ceremony raising the Pride flag at Village Hall.
The main event of the month will be a Pride in the Park festival on June 17 from 1-4 p.m.
"We want people to know we are inclusive and that Northport is a safe place for everyone and anyone," Koch said.
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