Festival focus: Dueling gay-pride parades

This weekend's Seattle Pride Festival celebration of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community is so popular that it's outgrown its traditional Capitol Hill venue and is moving to Seattle Center this year.

"We're excited about having the space to add new features, especially the educational events, a larger children's area, film festival, more room for dances and lots of exciting music," says Pride organizer Lauri Hennessey. One of the "Out and Proud"-themed festival's most popular events, the Seattle Pride Parade, will be the biggest ever and on a new downtown route this year.

Festival events both days include music on the DJ Stage at the International Fountain, music on the Mural Amphitheatre stage and at Fisher Pavilion, food and vendor booths, and beer gardens. Saturday special events include Pride Bingo at 8 p.m., an outdoor movie "But I'm a Cheerleader" at 10 p.m. and a country/western-themed dance in the Center House from 5 to 9 p.m. Educational activities include speakers from the HIV/AIDS Vaccine Program, demonstrations by Home Alive, and a resource and information center run by PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

But the Seattle Center event isn't all that's going on. For fans of the annual festival's traditional Capitol Hill home, the Seattle LGBT Community Center is hosting Queerfest. It's a day of music at Volunteer Park, Pride Weekend's former venue, with a march along Broadway the evening prior to the Seattle Pride Parade.

Seattle Pride Festival and Parade

Hours: Festival: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday (music until midnight); 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Parade: 11 a.m. Sunday

Admission: Most events free.

Locations: Festival at Seattle Center venues including Center House, Mural Amphitheater, Fisher Pavilion and International Fountain. Parade on Fourth Avenue from Union Street north to Seattle Center.

Getting there: Seattle Center operates several garages and parking lots. 5th Avenue Parking, at Fifth Avenue North and Republican Street, offers reduced parking rates for vehicles with three or more people. Call the Seattle Center traffic hotline for traffic and parking info, 206-233-3989. Metro Transit service between downtown and Seattle Center includes routes 3, 4, 16, 1, 2, 13, 15, 18. For information on bus service, call 206-553-3000 or see tripplanner.metrokc.gov/

More information: 206-322-9561 or www.seattlepride.org.

Hours: Festival, noon-dark Saturday. Dyke Rally, 5 p.m. Saturday; Dykes on Bikes then lead the Raise Your Voice March, 6 p.m. Saturday.

Admission: Free.

Locations: Festival at Volunteer Park. Dyke Rally at Seattle Central Community College. March on Broadway from Pine Street north to Volunteer Park.

More information: 206-323-5428 or seattlelgbt.org.