Soldotna Pride will return Saturday with a march, festivities at Soldotna Creek Park and evening performances at a local venue.

David Brighton, one of the organizers for Soldotna Pride, said Monday that the event starts with the Two-Spirit March, which meets at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex at 11:30 a.m. At noon parade participants will begin making the roughly 2-mile walk to the park.

There, a variety of vendors and performers will fill the space, with a costume contest for people at 1 p.m., a costume contest for dogs, cats and other animals at 2 p.m., and a scavenger hunt. Festivities at the park will close with a show by Kenai-based punk rock band Suicidal Bunnies.

There will be food, craftwork and some nonprofit services available and represented as part of the festival.

Between events at the park, there will be a variety show including performers and readings.

In the evening, an adults-only “After Dark” Pride celebration will be held at 4 Royle Parkers Bar — running from 9 p.m. to midnight. Brighton said drag performers are coming from as far away as Homer and Fairbanks.

Brighton said that Soldotna’s Pride celebrations have grown significantly over recent years. Originally, it was just the Two Spirit March, which was run by a program within the Kenaitze Indian Tribe called Yinihugheltani.

For several years, Brighton said, they’d do the walk and then disperse but there was a desire to have a larger celebration after — “wouldn’t it be fun to have some things to do?” So, the festival setting began to form, growing larger each year. Brighton said the goal is to create a space for people to come and have fun — whether they identify as part of the community, are an ally, or just want to learn more.

“We’re looking forward to having a lot of fun and providing a safe place where people can celebrate who they are,” Brighton said. “We want anyone that identifies in the LGBTQ+ community to be able to come, celebrate themselves, live authentically and just enjoy knowing that there’s a lot of other people around that are in that community. It’s a celebration.”

For more information, find “Soldotna Pride” on Facebook or @soldotnapride on Instagram.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Marchers walk from the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex to Soldotna Creek Park as part of Soldotna Pride in the Park on Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)