For the third year, the Quad Cities Pride Alliance is holding the Quad Cities Pride Festival this weekend, set to take place at the beautiful Schwiebert Riverfront Park in downtown Rock Island.
This vibrant celebration of diversity and inclusion will be held from Friday, May 31 to Saturday, June 1, offering a dynamic lineup of entertainment, activities, and community engagement. The hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, and noon to midnight Saturday, with $10 admission each day.
With a packed entertainment lineup each day, the headliners are:
- Friday Night: Ada Vox, renowned for her powerful performances on “Queen of the Universe” and “American Idol,” will take the stage to dazzle the crowd with her extraordinary talent.
- Saturday Night: Elliott With 2 T’s, a standout star from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will headline with a show-stopping performance sure to captivate and entertain.
The festival will feature an array of drag shows, live bands, and diverse entertainment acts throughout both days. Attendees can look forward to an eclectic mix of music, dance, and theatrical performances that celebrate the spirit of Pride.
In addition to the entertainment, the festival grounds will host a variety of food vendors offering delicious fare to satisfy all tastes. Local businesses and community organizations will also be on hand, showcasing their products and services, providing information, and engaging with festival-goers. This is a perfect opportunity to support local enterprises and discover the richness of the Quad Cities community.
“We are incredibly excited about this year’s Pride Festival,” said Daniel Gleason, president of Quad Cities Pride Alliance. “Our goal is to create a welcoming and joyous space for everyone to celebrate love, acceptance, and the vibrant diversity of our community. With amazing headliners like Ada Vox and Elliott with 2 T’s, we know this will be a festival to remember.”
Quad Cities Pride Alliance is dedicated to promoting equality, visibility, and understanding for the LGBTQ+ community in the QC region. Through events, outreach, and advocacy, the organization works tirelessly to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all individuals.
QC Pride is hosting the annual QC Unity Pride Parade June 1, starting at 11 a.m. at 2nd and Iowa streets in Davenport, heading down 2nd Street to the Centennial Bridge, crossing over to Illinois, down 3rd Avenue and heading to the entry way of theQuad Cities Pride FestivalatSchwiebert Riverfront Park, located at 101 17th St., Rock Island. Enjoy candy, music and creativity at this family-friendly event.
Parade entry is free. To register or for more information, clickhere.
Grand marshal and host excited
Elliott With 2 T’s (who is based in Las Vegas) and the Rock Island-based Chad Rose (who performs as drag queen Bentley Balenciaga) are the grand marshals for the parade and Balenciaga is host for the two-day festival.
“I’m super excited,” Rose — who has performed drag around the world for six years — said Wednesday. She is a two-year member of the Pride Alliance board and also is co-cruise director (with Elliott) of the Big Gay Cruise, with Royal Caribbean.
“I’ve always been in love with the art form,” Rose said of drag, noting she’s participated in the Pride Fest pride pageant in 2019, and won first place in 2021. She called Bentley an “old school” drag queen — with lots of glitz and feathers, big hair, big boobs and a big personality.
“I’m very much an extrovert — it’s an amplification of my own persona,” she said. “People are more forgiving when I’m performing. I can be more cutting in my comments. If I’m not in drag, it’s just mean.”
Doing the Pride Parade and Pride Fest is important to give back to the community, Rose said. Her full-time job is working from home for the virtual call center Alorica. Rose also will perform at a Pride Fest after-party Saturday night 11 pm. to 2 a.m. at The Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Those tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door.
The Big Gay Cruise is a five-day cruise not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but their allies, Rose said. This October, it will leave from Galveston, Tex., and next February, leaves from Miami, Fla.
With much anti-LGBTQ sentiment across the country, Rose said “it’s important to focus on the positive…Love is love.” As Bentley, she will perform at Pride events June 15 at Bass Street Landing, Moline, and June 30 at UP Skybar, downtown Davenport.
For more information about the 2024 Quad Cities Pride Festival, including the full schedule of events and ticket information, click HERE.
