“We try to make Rainbows a little bit different and an opportunity in the fall to offer a safe place for a big event,” says Fornelli. “We keep it more of a street fair feel so that it doesn’t echo the same thing we do in April for the festival. We want to make it different for everybody.” This year, Phoenix Pride will host its 17th annual Rainbows Fest on Nov. 2 and 3 at Heritage Square Park in downtown Phoenix (south of Seventh and Van Buren streets). The two-day festival is free to the public and will feature more than 150 sponsors, vendors, and exhibitors. There will also be two stages, providing entertainment for attendees throughout the weekend.
Rainbows Festival By Brianna Moore Photos courtesy of Phoenix Pride
“It’s kind of like going to the state fair on an LGBTQ+ level,” says Fornelli. “It’s just a safe space for people of the LGBTQ community to come together.” It’s no coincidence that the Rainbows Fest takes place shortly after LGBTQ History Month. The festival is meant to serve as a reminder to members of the community to be proud of who they are all year long. Aside from pride, one of the themes of the Rainbows Festival is community. Rainbows Fest provides the LGBTQ community, allies, friends, and families with an opportunity to gather and celebrate one another. The street-fair style event is put on in the fall of each year to give attendees to the space to be their authentic selves. Mike Fornelli believes that Rainbows is so successful as an event because of its emphasis on community.
T
he city of Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the nation, is full of people from various walks of life. That’s what makes it so special. It gets even better when an event takes place that celebrates individuality. One of those events is the Rainbows Festival and Street Fair. Launched in 2002, Rainbows Fest has earned the title of “Arizona’s Greatest Street Fair” as it celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community. The Rainbows Fest is the second largest LGBTQ event in the entire state of Arizona, second only to the Phoenix Pride Festival, which takes place in April. This year’s festival is expected to draw in more than 25,000 people. Mike Fornelli, executive director at Phoenix Pride says that Rainbows Fest offers guests more of a smaller, street fair vibe, as opposed to the large festival atmosphere of Phoenix Pride.
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NOVEMBER 2019
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ECHOMAG.COM
FEATURE STORY
