Bluegrass Pride Builds Momentum Toward Final #PORCHPRIDE Weekend And Festival

Bay Area non-profit Bluegrass Pride will culminate its month-long LGBTQ+ Pride celebration, Porch Pride, with a two-day virtual music festival featuring more than six hours of livestreams and performances by LGBTQ+ and allied bands, artists, and musicians. On June 26 & 27 starting at 3pm PDT / 6pm EDT the organization will celebrate five years of Bluegrass Pride (BGP) with artists such as Crys Matthews, BOOJUM, Po' Ramblin' Boys, Stephanie Anne Johnson, Rainbow Girls, and more. (Full lineup and schedule below.)

"It's so incredible to look back on all that Bluegrass Pride has accomplished in the past 5 years," says BGP Executive Director, Kara Kundert. "From launching that first award-winning float in the SF Pride Parade in 2017 to now running our own month-long Pride festival, it truly is a testament to the strength of our community and our desire to create positive change in the world of roots music. I think Porch Pride is the perfect way to celebrate that."

In 2020, Bluegrass Pride board member Jake Blount - who will appear with Sunny War, Yasmin Williams, and Jackie & Resa on BGP's Juneteeth: A Rainbow Revival virtual concert on Saturday, June 12 at 3pm PDT - first proposed the idea for Porch Pride as an avenue through which BGP could support and uplift LGBTQ+ artists through the industry-shuttering pandemic, offering direct relief and performance opportunities to a community already disproportionately impacted by the realities of COVID-19.

In its first year, the event raised more than $23,000 to be shared and distributed amongst the artists and bands on the lineup. Bluegrass Pride is hoping to outraise that amount in 2021, already reaching and doubling their goal for financial sponsorships! Day one of Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration is presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association; day two is presented by San Francisco-based ice cream brand, Double Rainbow. Additional sponsors include Awesomely Authentic, Freight & Salvage, Mandolin Cafe, Pre-War Guitars, The Handsome Ladies, Twilio, and others.

The public are invited to tune in on June 26 & 27 from 3pm to 6pm PDT / 6pm to 9pm EDT for Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration. All Porch Pride events are free to view and attend, but audience members are encouraged to DONATE to support every single artist on Porch Pride's month-long lineup. Watch and give on the Bluegrass Pride website, or watch via their YouTube channel or Facebook page.

For Bluegrass Pride fans and members local to the Bay Area, an in-person Porch Pride Watch Party & Jam will be held at Spark Social SF (601 Mission Bay Boulevard North, San Francisco, CA 94158) on June 27 at 2pm PDT! During and after the livestream watch party enjoy food, drinks, Double Rainbow ice cream, fellowship with fellow BGPers and jamming, plus a performance by local roots music scene stalwart Karen Heil's old-time string band, the Knuckle Knockers.

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