The sun was out and the music was just as radiant at Alki Beach Pride this year, and though dark clouds loomed across Elliot Bay, they kept a distance that respected this grassroots event's return to fully in-person programming after two years of being hybrid.
The setup on day one (Saturday, April 13) was a cluster of booths on the sidewalk and driveway outside Blue Moon Burgers. Looming above them was a two-story boombox with a photo booth and a stage for dancing, mostly occupied by kids busting moves from Fortnite, Disney films, and their imaginations. The balcony on the top was for tie-dye wearers only.
Alki Beach Pride started officially nine years ago, said co-founder Stacy Bass-Walden. But "we did it before it was actually a branded name. I have been doing this for almost 25 years now. It started with bonfires with groups of friends hanging out."
It grew into something larger when some of those friends wanted to bring their kids; West Seattle, it might surprise some to learn, has a long history of families led by Queer couples.
"We thought, 'Well, kids need to be here too,'" Bass-Walden said. "'We gotta make this an all-age thing, make it bigger.' You know, 'What can we do to add some sort of entertainment that is for everyone?'"
That all-ages philosophy was evident in every facet of the event, which took place in family-friendly, open-air spaces.
In the mid-afternoon, Rainbow City Performing Arts brought the Pride spirit to onlookers all along the beach with its age-inclusive, Queer-led marching band and color guard. Hip-hop dance group Kutt'n'up performed a routine of their own across the street from Blue Moon.
With the boombox quieting down, "They/Them Queen of Burlesque" Mx. Pucks A'Plenty gave attendees the opportunity to win free tickets to the only all-people-of-color burlesque festival in the Pacific Northwest, What the Funk, should they only win a few rounds of funk music trivia.
At the booths, nonprofits like the West Seattle Food Bank, the Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound (DAPS), Gay City, Black Pride, and the People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) had resources for any who needed them. Most booth staffers agreed that the vibes were good, though DAPS chairperson Oliver Webb remembered a more fraught year in the past.
Webb recounted a 2019 incident involving a handful of Proud Boys that were discovered on Alki Beach after having posted selfies of the event on social media. Webb, who was running the security team at the time, said he had his people fan out to find the potential threat. They were spotted in Pepperdock's Restaurant, just down the street from Blue Moon Burgers.
"We called [the restaurant] and told them, 'You guys have white supremacists sitting at one of your tables right now," Webb said. "'Either you guys can kick them out, or we can show up as a demonstration of force.'"
As soon as event security had gathered outside the restaurant, Webb said, the Proud Boys were on their way out the back door, fleeing to an Uber. Others present back then had doubted Webb, thinking the search an overreaction, but he said he had followed his gut.
This year's security and safety was overseen by Michael B. Fearnehough, owner and chief of operations at Cascadia Emergency Management. Sitting behind Marination Ma Kai in the early evening of day two (Sunday, August 14), he said there had only been minor emergencies — scrapes and cuts, requiring only Band-Aids, though at least one of the people who came to him had shown early signs of heat stroke.
In fact, being Queer himself, Fearnehough could recall only two or three "real" fights breaking out in Queer spaces, having spent plenty of time in Queer bars, clubs, and other gatherings, whether on the job or not. What Fearnehough said about his profession — that it required situational intuition — only confirmed that Webb had made the right call years ago.
As the host of Sunday's festivities, Marination Ma Kai was busy, with a stage set up on the packed back patio. Local performers Deandre, pop-soul singer Chris Levaughn, and R&B singer and guitarist Lakin used their talents to set a calm mood.
By contrast, a respectful distance down the street, the Burnout Brass Band wore leather and fishnets and blasted pop, Queer, and antifascist tunes in the shade of a few trees — songs like the Italian, anti-Nazi "Bella Ciao," and "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Their sousaphone's bell was decorated with red shibari ropes.
The event wound to a close on Sunday evening with yoga on the beach, followed by a showing of the Queer comedy The Birdcage at Alki Playground, put on by Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema.
"Thanks to the community," said Stacy Bass-Walden, "we have been able to do this, and not necessarily need a fundraising situation. It's harder to do, but not impossible. Companies like Blue Moon Burger, they say 'Yes, put a stage there.' We've got the [Seattle] Staging Company: 'Sure, we'll come and do this for the community.' We've got the sound person saying, 'Power to the people, we will do this for you.'
"So those dollars where we'd need to be a 501(c)(3), the community has been hugely helpful. Very, very caring, and loving, and supportive."
"We want this to turn into a destination for Pride," Bass-Walden added.