Out and Proud

Bust out the rainbow suspenders and big sunglasses — it's time for the 31st-annual Kansas City Pride Festival. Named by The Advocate last year as one of the top 10 gay-pride festivals in the nation, the celebration goes down today through Sunday in midtown. Three days of fun begin tonight with Street Blast, a free, carnival-style dance party at 19th Street and Main. Local DJs will get the party started at 6 p.m., and Crystal Waters headlines before the event wraps up at midnight. Sleep it off and then head back, Saturday morning at 11, to Liberty Memorial at Penn Valley Park (enter at 27th Street and Main; free parking is available at Hallmark at 27th Street and Warwick), where vendors will be selling everything from T-shirts to health insurance. Bungee-jump or chat with representatives from the Human Rights Campaign while the little ones play for free at KidZone. In the evening, catch performances by Wendy Ho, Amuka, the Transients and Kat Deluna. Eric Himan and Kristine W. play on Sunday. Entrance to the festival is free on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's $5 to get in between 5 and 10 p.m. For a full list of the weekend's events — including Saturday's Pong for Pride, which requires advance registration — see gaypridekansascity.com.
Fri., June 5, 6 p.m.; Sat., June 6, 11 a.m.; Sun., June 7, 11 a.m., 2009