Photo courtesy Out! Raleigh via Facebook.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Organizers say they are expecting as many as 15,000 attendees at Saturday’s Out! Raleigh, slated for City Plaza and Fayetteville St. from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The annual event, which was started two years ago, is organized by the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Since 2011, the event has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s first year attracted 6,000 attendees, far above organizers’ estimates for their first event. This year, organizers have expanded with more entertainment and other activities to meet the growing expected attendance.
Ashley Broadway is this year’s featured keynote speaker. Broadway, the wife of a lesbian Fort Bragg officer, became the national face of same-sex military spouses late last year when she was denied membership in a club for spouses of military officers. Her efforts and advocacy resulted in changes to military policies; military ID cards are expected to be given to same-sex spouses later this year.
Entertainers at the Saturday event include bands A Tin Djinn, Someone’s Sister, Army of Dog, Justin Robinson and The Mary Annettes and I Was Totally Destroying It. Singers Kristy Lee and Mary Selvidge are also scheduled, along with performances by the Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus.
The event will also feature a “KidsZone” with activities from Marbles Kids Museum, Cirque de Vol Studios and Tanglewood Puppets. Inflatables from Interactive Playgrounds will also be at the festival.
For more information on the event, visit outraleigh.org.