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WE’re getting started again - stay tuned

For five years, the Northern Virginia Pride Festival provided an amazing opportunity for the largest gathering of LGBTQ+ Northern Virginians and straight Allies to come together united by shared appreciation for diversity an acceptance.

NOVA Pride pushed pause on the Northern Virginia Pride Festival in 2018, voting unanimously to focus on NOVA Pride Prom, while pursuing a more accessible space closer to the Beltway for “Sixth Annual Northern Virginia Pride Festival: 2020 Vision.” Looking forward to get out the vote efforts, the increased interest in civic engagement during a Presidential election year, and moving forward with several conversations, we expected our festival in 2020 to be a totally different experience.

Then COVID-19 happened. In Spring 2020, when it became clear that the lockdown would not end the pandemic, and the venue for our 2020 Pride Prom closed (and later went bankrupt), our board voted to cease planning events until it was safe and responsible to do so. Over the course of the past three years, many have moved, and many allowed their terms to expire to focus on mental health or other priorities.

In February of 2023, after it was announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency would expire on May 11, 2023, the remaining active board members decided to get things going again.

We’re pursuing space for a NOVA Pride Prom - but the timing of the emergency’s expiration may exclude dates during the school year, which is a requirement of ours for the event, to ensure the presence of school staff and maximize both student safety and student access and participation.

We’re also pursuing another festival - however our festival takes a year to produce (without being a very stressful undertaking for our volunteers), so we’re looking at 2024 for the re-emergence of our flagship event.

NOVA Pride has a culture of ego-free, universal stakeholder inclusion. We always reach out to organizations in the region when planning an activity, and intend to find a way to promote, support, and collaborate with all of the town and county events and organizations in the area.

Stay tuned!

NOVA Pride

 

Educate.

Advocate.

Celebrate.

 
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About

NOVA Pride is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to cultivate and grow a coalition to educate, advocate and celebrate in service to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community of Northern Virginia and our straight Allies. A young, grassroots, 100% volunteer-run organization, NOVA Pride provides a unified voice for, and a local base to, LGBTQ+ Northern Virginians - enhancing our visibility and relevance in the DMV region. NOVA Pride brings a sense of community to families, youth, and people of all scenes and sexualities through its year-round activity, including an annual festival every fall.

Mission

Cultivate and grow a coalition to educate, advocate, and celebrate in service to the LGBTQ+ community of Northern Virginia and our straight allies.

Vision and Values

Foster a proud, safe, healthy and thriving LGBTQ+ community within Northern Virginia, working together with straight allies and ongoing pursuit of an increasingly inclusive community.

01.
–EDUCATE

NOVA Pride identifies and addresses important issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community daily. We work to educate the community by compiling and sharing resources to spark and engage informed discussion around LGBTQ+ issues. Additionally, we engage with trusted affiliates to mobilize and make these resources accessible and provide educational events.

02.
–Advocate

NOVA Pride actively endorses adoption and inclusion of LGBTQ+ welcoming policies, procedures and practices for local and governmental services: community centers, boards of education, schools, service and protection departments, and local businesses. NOVA Pride also advocates for other established LGBTQ+ friendly organizations and observed celebrations.

03.
–celebrate

NOVA Pride invigorates the LGBTQ+ community through its flagship event, the Northern Virginia Pride Festival—a safe space that brings the community together with friendly businesses, organizations, faith-based communities, and special interest groups. Throughout the year, NOVA Prides unites the community and local businesses through diverse and inclusive events.

 
 
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“We are building the coalition to empower LGBTQ+ Northern Virginians.”

brian reach|  founder | President and Executive director

 
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History

NOVA Pride was founded as Fairfax Pride, Inc. in August of 2011, in response to the discrepancy between the large LGBTQ+ population of Northern Virginia and the lack of services available to it.  We sought to bring credibility to our voice by encouraging collaboration between the fragmented community groups the already existed, forming a coalition, and identifying and addressing gaps in services.

What started out as a small organization, hosting restaurant "takeovers" to gain attention and raise funds (and give people somewhere to go to meet their neighbors!), NOVA Pride is now the area's largest LGBTQ+ organization, and has become the voice of LGBTQ+ Northern Virginia.  We've held over 400 events in Northern Virginia since inception, including our Annual Northern Virginia Pride Festival, the region's largest gathering of members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community. 

We are a non-political organization; we are focused on being accessible, inclusive, and ego-free; we create partnerships and promote all initiatives that benefit the community; and we are an IRS-recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization (EIN 45-2753405).

 
 
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