CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Charlottesville Pride will host its annual PrideFest at the Ting Pavilion this Saturday from 12:30-7:30 p.m.

The event will feature about 90 local vendors and organizations on-site. Charlottesville Pride President Nick Hutchins said it’s the largest number of vendors the festival has had in its history.

“That is anything from people selling clothes, jewelry, baked goods, books, and some local nonprofits as well as so people can get some information from them,” he said.

The festival will also feature four bands — Butterfly Vendetta, 7th Grade Girl Fight, the Falsies and the Cry Babies — in the afternoon, before the event is concluded with a drag show from 4:45 p.m. until the festival’s conclusion at 7:30.

“It’s going to be a full day of music and just a really great atmosphere,” Hutchins said. “So many wonderful local sellers and local organizations and hopefully a few thousand of our friends are in the community.”

This weekends’ event will mark the 12th PrideFest, which has been held annually except for in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the festival has become a regular occurrence, this particular year carries significance, as the LGBTQ+ community grapples with increased attacks from the Trump administration.

Hutchins says while Pride as a movement is still and will continue to be a place for celebration, he expects it to also harken back to its roots as a form of protest, just as it was when it first began in 1969 in response to the Stonewall Riots. Hutchins added that Pride is even more important in “these moments of political uncertainty.’

“It’s another reason I think I’m so grateful to this community in particular that has continued to show up for us,” he said, “continued to want to be a vendor, continued to want to sponsor the local pride festival in a way that many national companies are not doing as much anymore.”

Hutchins praised the business community in Charlottesville for its continued support of Charlottesville Pride, which he called “really wonderful.”

While he added that he expects the festival to be far from doom and gloom, Hutchins is aware that people will be showing up “from very different mental points of view,” and he hopes to create space for that. Ultimately, he said the most important part of the festival is creating a place for people to build connections and have a good time.

“I think that it provides a lot of joy for a lot of people,” he said. “I think that’s a rare thing to be able to get to do with an event is just creating a place for people to enjoy themselves and make good connections, so I think that’s my goal.”