Big Gay Hudson Valley, in partnership with the Friends of the Walkway nonprofit organization and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will host Pride In The Sky, the first-ever pride celebration on Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park on Friday, May 17, 2024 from 6-10 p.m. 

Pride In The Sky will be free to the public to attend thanks to organizations that include Hudson Valley Credit Union, Westchester Medical Center, Hamilton & Adams, Upstate Modernist and I Love NY / LGBT with support from Ulster County Tourism, Dutchess Tourism, The Awesome Poughkeepsie Foundation, Nuvance Health, Chronogram & iHeart Media. 

LGBTQ+ community groups are invited to set up booths in the parks on either side of the bridge to share information and preview their plans and events for June, which is nationally observed as Gay Pride Month. In addition, Big Gay Hudson Valley working with both Ulster and Dutchess Tourism will use the event to showcase and distribute the soon to be released queer travel maps for Ulster & Dutchess Counties. Also present in the parks on both sides of the Walkway will be vendors offering food and beverages.

The evening event will feature a DJ-driven dance party at the Walkway’s Center Overlook, along with featured hosts from the LGBTQ+ Community and illuminated performers and entertainers. Pride In The Sky will also feature Walkway’s new LED color changing lighting as the bridge illuminates in rainbow for the evening. 

At dusk, a group of 100+ flag marshals will carry a 15 ft wide, 500 ft. long portion of a rainbow flag created especially for the flag’s 20th anniversary in 1998. The 1.5 mile long flag was made by its creator, Gilbert Baker, with the support of SPI Marketing, and stretched from one end of Key West Florida to the opposite side of the Island to mark the anniversary. Featuring the original 8 color stripes, this section of that flag will be carried by a group of more than 100 flag marshals from the Dutchess County side of the Walkway to the Ulster County side of the Walkway. 

Attending Pride In The Sky is free; attendees are asked to please register in advance online at BigGayHudsonValley. Designed for attendees of all ages and their pets, participants are encouraged to wear something illuminated to add to the festivities. 

The community can support Pride In The Sky by becoming a community sponsor or signing up as a flag marshal to help carry the historic rainbow flag across the Walkway on Friday, May 17th. Visit BigGayHudsonValley.com to register to attend as a participant or a community group, sign up as a flag marshal or learn more about becoming a sponsor.