Upstate Pride March & Festival kicks off Saturday in Spartanburg park

Thousands are expected to gather from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday Saturday in Spartanburg’s Barnet Park for Upstate Pride SC’s annual March & Festival.

Upstate Pride SC (UPSC) will host the free, family-friendly event with performers, food trucks, children’s activities, community vendors, and a peaceful march through downtown Spartanburg.

Gates will open at 11 a.m. Dozens of community vendors will be set up with displays, giveaways, and commemorative items for sale.

Budding and amateur entertainers Hannah Welch, Erika J. Dupree, Diamond Tiara Dupree-Sanchez, and Jade La-Roux Sedique will provide pre-show performances on stage, from 11 a.m. until noon.

Attendees who wish to participate in the one-mile march through downtown Spartanburg will begin lining up along Converse Street at 11:30 a.m. The march will begin around noon, and last no longer than one hour.

Immediately following the march, performers will take Barnet Park’s Zimmerli Amphitheater stage at 1 p.m. Entertainment will begin with a collaborative performance by SEWA Community Drummers and belly dancers from Bella Dance Studio. Other entertainers will include musical groups Joie, Stephaniesĭd, and Pride of Greenville Chorus; street performer group The Secret Cirkus; comedian Jenn Snyder; dancers from Greenville’s Studio C; drag queens Veronica La Blank, Princess Mocha, Paris LeFaris, Cherish D’Men Dupri, Cheetah Kane Morgan, Alexia Valentine, and Rylee Hunty; and drag kings Scorpio and Carson Scott.

Drag queen and female impersonator Delighted Tobehere, a recent contestant on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will perform.

A Greenville native, Delighted has performed internationally in his nearly 15-year career, taking comedy, live vocals, impersonations, and storytelling to cities across the globe such as New York, Los Angeles, and London. After graduating from Clemson University, he moved to Charlotte, for many years before relocating to New York City in mid-2015.

Delighted Tobehere became a household name in July when he performed Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” a deep-voiced country song, on “America’s Got Talent” and received unanimous approval from the panel of celebrity judges. Within weeks of moving to New York City, he won “Broadway’s Best in Drag” and the “Sing, Queen” competition, secured residencies in several nightclubs, and performed at the historic Stonewall Inn.

“Delighted has always been very supportive of our organization,” Keith Keppley, president of Upstate Pride SC, said in a news release. “It’s an honor to have her back after the Big Apple had a chance to see what we’ve always known: Delighted is a star.”

Delighted’s show will feature diverse forms of entertainment and will be family-friendly.

Hosting the festival for the seventh year in a row will be drag queen Patti O’Furniture (Pat Patterson) of Columbia. Known as the “camp queen of the Carolinas” and the “Yard Sale with Legs,” he has performed a mix of drag, comedy, quirky costumes, and quick wit since 1998. An avid supporter of UPSC and other advocacy organizations in the Southeast, Patti donates his earnings as an emcee back to the community, raising more than $1.2 million in his career.

Off stage, festivalgoers will be able to choose from several food trucks and enjoy beer from Growler Haus. Members of Spartanburg Soaring Kite Club will help patrons fly colorful kites in the midst of the festival, as well.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to bring their young children to the Edward Jones’ Kids Fun Zone. Educators and child care professionals will be on site to engage children in free hands-on activities such as games and kite-making.

Admission to Upstate Pride SC’s March & Festival is free.

Festival attendees are invited to attend the official after party, starting at 9 p.m., at Club South 29 in Spartanburg for dancing and drinks by Absolut, sponsor of Delighted’s performance.

For more information on the March & Festival, visit UpstatePrideSC.org or email AdvPubRelations@UpstatePrideSC.org. To learn more about Delighted, go to ImDelightedTobehere.com.