This week's décor: rainbow flags.
Nashville Pride returns for its 22nd year with a festival on Saturday celebrating the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community in Middle Tennessee.
The nonprofit event, presented by Tribe and Play Dance Bar, will be a weeklong affair offering concerts, drag queen shows and comedy acts throughout various bars and clubs in Nashville, topped off with Saturday's main concert event.
Nashville Pride is an annual event created to raise awareness of the GLBT community.
This year's festival will have two stages of music, more than 100 local vendors and an expected 20,000 people attending. This year, however, the celebration will be missing one of the biggest names and familiar faces in the Nashville gay community, the legendary Bianca Paige.
Mark Middleton's drag character, Bianca Paige, was a star in Nashville's drag queen community. She was sassy, confident, funny and real. Middleton, 45, died June 4 of complications from HIV and lymphoma.
The Bianca Paige Memorial Fund has been established at Regions Bank; anyone can make a donation at any Regions location in Middle Tennessee. There also will be a benefit in her honor beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday at Play Dance Bar. All proceeds will go to Paige's final expenses.
Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton will headline this year's concert, which also will feature Kaci Battaglia, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Megan McCormick and local band Space Capone.
Events will be going on all week in Nashville through Sunday. To volunteer to work Nashville Pride or set up a vendor area, fill out an online form. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nashvillepride.org or
e-mail info@nashvillepride.org.
Pride events include:
Thursday
Living True Tour
7-9 p.m.
Covenant of the Cross
752 Madison Square
Ray Voltz and Azariah Southwork will perform live. Voltz and Southworth "came out" to the Christian music world at the same time, and they have now begun their 2010 tour.
The Velocity of Pride
6 p.m.
Velocity clubhouse, Velocity Apartments
320 11th Ave. S. (Gulch area)
Free admission
Friday
Rock with Pride pre-party
7-9 p.m.
Hard Rock Cafe
100 Broadway
Arrow Nashville Pride Event
9 p.m.-6 a.m.
The Arrow
500 Fifth St. S.
Adult star Ricky Sinz will appear at the club, along with the Men of Arrow.
$20 admission, portion of cover donated to Nashville Pride.
Saturday
Nashville Pride Festival
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Riverfront Park
Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton will headline a show that also includes Kaci Battaglia, Megan McCormick, Knowing Me, Knowing You and local band Space Capone.
$5
Pride after-party
with Kaci Battaglia
10 p.m., doors open at 9 p.m.
Play Dance Bar
1519 Church St.
$12
Sunday
Rainbow Run
Presented by OutCentral in Centennial Park
2598 West End Ave.
7 a.m., check in at 6:30 a.m.
Three-mile run, one-mile walk
$25 to preregister, $30 of the day of run
OutLoud! Customer Appreciation Day
Noon-5 p.m.
OutLoud! Books & Gifts
1703 Church St.
Second annual customer appreciation day. Free hot dogs, cold drinks, kids activities, sidewalk sale, adult seminars and workshops, along with storewide savings.
June 25
Nashville GLBT Chamber
of Commerce Mixer
