Ypsi Pride will return for one day, June 7, at locations throughout Ypsilanti's Depot Town, with an even longer lineup of vendors and performers than last year.

"We're still kind of rebuilding Ypsi Pride after COVID," says Lindsey Bacigal, planning committee member with Ypsi Pride, which is under the umbrella of First Fridays Ypsilanti. Ypsi Pride has included multiple days of programming in past years.

"We're still kind of getting back into the swing of things, but we've got more vendors, and more food trucks than last year, and we're expanding onto the bridge as well in Depot Town," Bacigal says. About two blocks of Cross Street will be closed to auto traffic, from the bridge over the Huron River through the railroad tracks at River Street.

A color-coded map will soon be available through the First Fridays website showing where various vendors can be found. Bacigal says organizers are emphasizing vendors and entertainers local to Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County, though Ypsi Pride is drawing from all over southeast Michigan this year.

Entertainment, ranging from burlesque and drag to a comedy show and a dance performance, will take place on two stages — a street stage on Cross Street, and another indoor stage in the Ypsilanti Freighthouse.

"MIX Studios is bringing a trampoline performance, so that'll be fun, and there's also a belly dance performance," Bacigal says. 

She notes that the Ypsi Pride committee hopes to host other events throughout the year.

"We want to do not just the one big event in June but also do some more events throughout the course of the year, rather than just on the day of," she says. "One of our main goals with Pride is both celebrating the LGBTQ+ community but also celebrating the community of Ypsilanti in general."

For updates about Ypsi Pride 2024, visit the Ypsi Pride Facebook page.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.