Baltimore Pride might be a celebration of gay rights and culture, but it's also an excuse to party. Hard.
The event starts with a block party Saturday in Mount Vernon, the city's center for gay bars and clubs, and finishes with a festival in Druid Hill Park on Sunday. Whether you're strapping on some pumps for the High-Heel Race, walking in the parade or soaking in the live music, Pride has something for all stripes. It's a bold, brash and colorful way to spend a weekend.
The intersection of Charles and Eager streets serves as the focal point for the festival, which is now in its 35th year. That intersection is home to Baltimore's two wildest gay bars, Grand Central and the Hippo. At 1001 N. Charles St., Grand Central is, perhaps, Baltimore's largest gay bar. It seems to go on forever, with one room leading into another. There is a deck out back and a lesbian-friendly lounge, Sappho's, all under one roof. Grand Central isn't doing anything out of the ordinary for Pride, because it doesn't have to. It's like an Irish bar on St. Patrick's Day — whether or not it's advertising drink specials, Grand Central and the Hippo are going to be wall-to-wall with customers.
The Hippo, on the other hand, is split into two spaces with two distinct feels. The lounge, with its large, square bar, flat-screen TVs and pool table, is less crazy. You can sit and drink or converse with friends. The Hippo also has a big dance room connected to the lounge via a hallway. There, just about all you can do is dance, because the music gets too loud to talk. On Saturday, DJ Sherock will be handling the beats at the Hippo, at 1 W. Eager St. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the cover is $6.
A true test of balance and ankle strength, the annual High-Heel Race launches Saturday's festivities at 3:45 p.m. Competitors will strut, shimmy and stomp to see who can cross the finish line without breaking a heel or taking a tumble. It's a riot. The parade starts at 4 p.m. at Charles and Eager streets, and gives way to the block party at the same spot. The block party begins at 6 p.m. and runs until about 10 p.m. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland will crown the king and queen of Pride.
As always, a host of bands and musicians will provide the soundtrack. Between Saturday and Sunday, more than 30 acts will perform. Singer Debby Holiday headlines Saturday's lineup in Mount Vernon. Holiday sang "Dig Deep," the theme song for the TV show "Dirt," which stars Courtney Cox. Singer/songwriter Ariel Aparicio, who released the full-length album "All These Brilliant Things," performs at many gay pride festivals on the East Coast. Other acts Saturday include Odd Girl Out, Electrik Red, Charm City Boys and Gilded Lily.
Sunday's lineup, which is traditionally the more mellow of the two, will be hosted by Pandora Boxx of the reality TV show " RuPaul's Drag Race." New Wave Singers, billed as the state's only gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered chorus, headlines Sunday's music in the park. Other performers include the Baltimore Men's Chorus, J. Pope, the Pushovers, Reina Williams and the Charm City Kitty Club.
If you go
The Baltimore Pride Festival starts with the High-Heel Race at 3:45 p.m. Saturday at Charles and Eager streets and continues at 11 a.m. Sunday in Druid Hill Park. Call 410-837-5445 or go to baltimorepride.org.