NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Fernandina Beach Pride Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on supporting, connecting and enriching the Nassau County LGBTQ+ community, will hold its fourth annual Parade and Festival on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Historic Fernandina Beach’s Central Park. The event is presented this year by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “We are excited and honored to put on the largest Pride celebration in the city’s almost 200-year-old history,” said Jordan Morris, president of Fernandina Beach Pride. “It will be a day full of love, acceptance, and celebration of being your authentic self.”
More than 50 parade entries, 100 vendors and 3,000 visitors are expected at this year’s event — a significant increase over the organization’s 2023 event. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and follow the traditional parade route from Central Park, down Ash St. and over to Centre St. via 2nd St., proceeding back along Centre St. to Central Park. The festival will follow at 11 a.m., which, in addition to the largest “Vendor Village” to date, will feature seven food trucks, a “Family Fun Zone” with face painting and games, and live music from the Jacksonville-based 7 Street Band.
New in 2024, WJXT Channel 4 (News4JAX) is the local Media Sponsor for the event, broadcasting live from the parade and providing high-profile emcees for both the parade and festival — meteorologist Katie Garner and co-host of River City Live, Jana Angel. Angel will also host Fernandina Beach Pride Board members on the June 7 episode to promote the event. Other special guests for the event include the Parade Grand Marshal, Cindy Watson, founder and recently retired CEO of JASMYN, a local support organization for LGBTQ+ youth, and the Keynote Speaker, Meteorologist Trevor Gibbs of WJAX Action News JAX. The Palace Saloon, Florida’s oldest bar, will host the Pride Afterparty (21+) in its outdoor Shipyard from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Local music acts Brian Ernst and Honey Deacon will perform.
The 2024 Fernandina Beach Pride weekend will conclude with a Drag Brunch event (18+) at Disco Witch Brewing in Yulee on Sunday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Four local drag acts will perform, with brunch catered by Luxe Picnics by Les. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased on Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/drag-brunch-nrkqcaaj. All proceeds benefit the Fernandina Beach Pride Scholarship Fund, which has awarded $23,000 to Nassau County high school seniors since 2020. For more information, or to make a donation to the Fernandina Beach Pride Scholarship Fund, please visit www.fernandinabeachpride.com.