Special to the Record
The Chelsea LGBTQ Coalition, in conjunction with the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and the City of Chelsea, is proud to announce the 11th Annual Chelsea Pride Flag Raising Ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 30, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Washington Park in Chelsea.
The afternoon will celebrate pride, love, visibility and community, and will feature a local marketplace, guest speakers, and live performances by legendary drag icon Lakia Mondale, among others.
Matt Frank, head organizer for the LGBTQ Coalition, is excited to welcome many residents, guests, and visitors to the event for the 11th straight year.
“For the past 11 years the Chelsea community has shown up and showed support,” Frank stated. “We are very proud to live in a community that shows all its residents support and respect. We are especially grateful to the city and the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce for helping push this forward every year!”
Keynote speakers will include Kimberly Edwards, Global Co-chair of the BBH BANC Pride Network & Carlos Morales, Director of Food Access for La Colaborativa. In addition there will be a special tribute to Oliva Walsh by Pepper Fee, and remarks from Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez.
The Chelsea Pride Flag Raising has been a staple of the Chelsea summer calendar for the past 11 years. For the first few years the flag raising took place in Bellingham Square and was a true grassroots movement by local residents with permission from the City to utilize its main municipal flag pole. In 2020, the flag raising event was held with a remote audience watching the flag rise up to show Chelsea’s Pride continued, no matter what. Post Covid-19, the coalition joined with the City of Chelsea to expand the program and include performances. The celebration moved to Chelsea Square under the sponsorship arrangement. In recent years the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce took on fiscal sponsorship of the coalition and the Chamber staff took on permitting, planning and executing the flag raising, allowing the event to become more engaging and exciting for all residents.