Every August nearly a quarter million people flock to the streets of Uptown Charlotte for LGBTQ+ music, celebration and visibility as the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade Weekend returns to the Queen City. But just beyond the crowds and main stage energy, Flourish: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Arts & Culture offers something quieter, but no less powerful. This year, Flourish makes its debut at the Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City. Held Saturday, Aug. 16 from 1 to 6 p.m., the event features LGBTQ+ choirs, spoken word artists, visual art, short films and more.
Now in its twelfth year and part of Charlotte Pride’s 25th anniversary celebration, Flourish continues to evolve alongside the festival itself, which relocates this year from South Tryon Street to First Ward Park. For Tiffany Crooks, who has coordinated the event for Charlotte Pride since 2018, Flourish remains a vital space for connection and visibility. “Flourish is about supporting our community through connection and creative experience,” she says. “It’s a space where our artists can thrive, where their stories are heard, their work is seen and their contributions are valued.”
Flourish began in 2013 as a response to a problem: The main stage at Charlotte Pride was no place for choirs. “It was hot, we were in full sun, and there was no way for anyone to hear us properly,” recalls founder John Quillin. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, One Voice Chorus and other local groups were often slotted into early morning times with inadequate sound equipment and sparse audiences.
Rather than accept the limitations, Quillin helped launch a new activation that would center LGBTQ+ artists from across disciplines: music, drag, spoken word, literature, visual art and film. In partnership with the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Flourish offered free programming in an indoor space where artists could finally be seen and heard on their own terms.
In 2018, the event transitioned to Charlotte Pride, with longtime performer and volunteer Tiffany Crooks stepping in to lead it into its next chapter. Under her guidance, Flourish has grown into a multidimensional celebration of LGBTQ+ artistry. “We’ve always wanted Flourish to be a platform for artists who might not be seen on the main stage at Charlotte Pride,” Crooks says. “Now we’re able to do that on a much larger scale.”
This year’s lineup includes spoken word artists, singer-songwriters, musical improv and Charlotte’s cornerstone LGBTQ+ performance groups: the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, Women’s Chorus of Charlotte, One Voice Chorus and Charlotte Pride Band. Zulynette, who is both performing and exhibiting, shares bold, bilingual poetry and visual art that speaks to identity and liberation. Mo Pirela returns with original spoken word pieces shaped by her experiences as a Black lesbian woman and community storyteller. Making her Flourish debut, Mimi V brings heartfelt indie/alternative songs performed on ukulele, offering what she describes as “mellow vibes” and music rooted in personal truth.
At its core, Flourish is a space for LGBTQ+ artists to speak, sing and create from the truth of their lived experience. Few embody that mission as fully as Zulynette, Mo Pirela and Mimi V.
Returning for her third year, Zulynette is a spoken word artist, visual creator and community facilitator whose work explores liberation, grief, identity and joy. Her performances pulse with rhythm and resistance, often weaving references to her Boricua heritage through language and music. “When I first moved to Charlotte, I was looking to be part of community events that had values that aligned with mine,” she said. “Flourish is that. It’s about celebrating us, celebrating queer community, celebrating queer artistry, and so I was all in.” She will also exhibit artwork this year, continuing her practice of storytelling through multiple mediums.
Mo Pirela, also in her third year at Flourish, brings a dynamic presence to the spoken word stage. Her poetry is grounded in personal narrative and political truth, shaped by her identity as a Black lesbian woman. “My identity heavily influences my work,” she says. “There’s a brilliance and a beauty that comes from being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Each one of us brings something different.” For Pirela, Flourish is more than a stage. It is a place where community support fuels artistic risk. “There’s nothing like being in a room where people just get it.”
Mimi V makes her Flourish debut this year performing original indie/alternative songs on a ukulele she taught herself to play by ear during the pandemic. “I’m a musician and singer-songwriter with a lifelong love for the arts,” she says. “My songs often come from personal truths whether it’s mental health, queer experiences or life transitions.” As an LGBTQ+ artist, V says Flourish is a space where she can “be a safe space for others and also feel safe with others.”
Together, these artists represent the range, depth and soul of Charlotte’s LGBTQ+ creative community. Their voices remind us that visibility is not a performance, but a practice of presence, truth and connection.
In 2025, visibility alone is no longer enough. Across the country, LGBTQ+ organizations are facing mounting political pressure and financial instability. Lawmakers continue to push legislation aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs, while major donors scale back LGBTQ+ funding. The impact is felt in the day-to-day work of artists and organizers trying to hold space for joy and resistance.
“With the political climate, and I think this is throughout the whole nation, money has been a huge factor,” says Tiffany Crooks. “But what I’m really amazed by is how we’ve pulled together and still been able to find these artists, bring them in, and say, ‘Hey, come do Flourish.’ Let’s get you visibility. Let’s put you out there.”
Flourish, she says, is a space of persistence. “No matter what is happening, we’re overcoming it, moving through and saying, ‘Here’s what we can do.’”
For Flourish founder Quillin, the urgency is all too familiar. In 1997, the Mecklenburg County Commission defunded the Arts & Science Council (ASC) over its support for “Angels in America.”
At the time, County Commissioner Hoyle Martin (the only Democrat who voted with Republicans to defund the ASC) talked about the controversy and the LGBTQ+ community with the Charlotte Observer. “If I had my way,” Martin said, “we’d shove these people off the face of the earth.”
Despite Martin’s comments, Quillin was unshaken. “You are not pushing me off the face of the earth,” he recalled saying in response to Martin’s hate-filled words. “I won’t be swept away, and neither will anybody else. We’re going to flourish.”
At its heart, Flourish is about possibility. Crooks hopes that attendees leave with a sense of connection to the art, the community and their own creative potential. “There are some dope artists in our community across all spectrums,” she says. “And there are spaces out there, if you want to get involved. Or maybe you’ll hear someone whose words resonate with you and think, ‘I want to find them again.’”
In a time when fear and division dominate headlines, Flourish offers something else: imagination, courage and care. It is a place to witness LGBTQ+ creativity in its fullest form, to support artists who speak truth to power and to remember that building community is an act of resistance. Come for the art, stay for the spirit and leave ready to carry it forward.