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MOOSIC — NEPA PrideFest will begin yet a new chapter this year when the annual event moves to Montage Mountain.
Kelly Novakowski, co-chair of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, believes the move is a positive one, enabling people from all over the area to access the celebration. The location is central to both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, making it accessible to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The event, now in its ninth year, moved to the Tomato Festival grounds on Main Street in Pittston last year after a seven-year stretch at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre.
“Pittston has been great to us,” Novakowski said. “We’re just holding the event at Montage to provide those who attend with access to the water park and the restaurant.”
Novakowski said the event has been consistently growing, providing members of the LGBTQ+ community an opportunity to gather socially and learn about available resources.
“Some people live outside of the area and return to attend every year,” she said.
Novakowski recalls the first year when the event was similar to “a picnic in the park.”
“Now, several thousand people participate,” she said.
Novakowski said organizers have kept the price at $5 so those interested have an opportunity to attend.
The organization also recently announced the opening of a community center in downtown Pittston slated for this fall.
“Pittston has been very very good to us,” she said. “The fact that they have a non-discrimination ordinance makes it the perfect setting for us. We look at Pittston as our home.”
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