Burien Pride Crowd Exceeds Expectations, $8,000 Donated to Local Charities

Supporters of Burien's first-ever Pride celebration came out in droves to celebrate at Burien Town Square Park on Saturday, June 3, 2017. More than 3,000 guests attended the 12-hour Pride celebration, which included kid-family programming, performances by 80's cover band Aqua-Nets, Ms. Donnatella Howe and Tru St. James, and a beer garden in the middle of the Square.

"It's impossible not to dance when the Aqua-Nets take the stage," said Laurel Humphrey, Burien Pride committee member.

Organizers say they expected approximately 300-500 attendees, but were pleasantly surprised by the crowd size that continued to swell throughout the day's programming and into the evening's performances.

"We are so pleased that Burien residents and our neighbors embraced us for our first-ever Burien Pride celebration," stated Burien Pride committee member Debra George. "The support is there and businesses, organizations and community partners are already signing up to sponsor our event next year. This annual event is sure to continue to grow in a positive way for years to come, and we thank you."

Committee members invite Burien Pride supporters near and far to celebrate 4th of July by walking with them in the Burien Independence Day Parade, now in its 96th year. The parade begins at 3 p.m. and runs approximately two hours. More information on the event is located on the Discover Burien website and contingency information can be found on Burien Pride's Facebook event page.

Sponsors of Burien Pride included Gay City, BECU, Umpqua Bank, Burien Actors Theater, Burien Nursing and Rehabilitation, and South Seattle Community College. Family-friendly programming ran from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with FREE admission to the public. Proceeds from the event benefited Burien C.A.R.E.S., a local Burien animal non-profit organization, and Seattle LGBT youth program Camp Ten Trees (a total of $4,000 was donated to each organization).

Additional sponsors included: B-Town Blog, Seattle Women's Pride, The Seattle Lesbian, Pit Stop Bottle Shop, RES Graphics, The Aqua-Nets, and The Black Zia Cantina.

For additional information or to request an interview or photos, please contact Sarah Toce at (206) 714-2277 or burienpride@gmail.com.

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