Oregon Coast TODAY **Newport Pride will stage its “Fabulous Formal” at the Primaltones community venue with the theme “Purple Reign” at 7 p.m. Saturday.**

By Oregon Coast TODAY

NEWPORT — Pride events are not just big, rainbow-hued parties. They are also a time for celebrating change, working toward a more positive future and breaking down barriers for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

And the second annual Newport Oregon Pride aims to have some fun doing it. Running from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 22-24, the celebration includes an ’80s themed night, Drag Bingo, a friends and family picnic and more.

“We have some of the same things as last year that were very successful, like the Super Queer Fun Fair,” said board secretary Kathy Redwine. “But this year we have a few new things too like a 5k walk/run and the Drag Bingo. We’ll be having some drag kings and queens from the valley to help run bingo — it will be tons of fun. It will be free to get in and to play it’s a dollar a card. Most of the events are free to attend — we are trying to make it accessible as possible.”

The fun begins at 5 p.m. Friday with Pub Night at Bier One Brewing, with beer, food and games. If you choose to follow the ’80s theme, arrive in your favorite neon prints, fringes and big hair.

Saturday will begin with a Pride Proclamation at Newport City Hall at 10:30 a.m., then go big with the Super Queer Fun Fair at the Newport Recreation Center, with vendors, businesses and resources beginning at 11 a.m.

“We will be giving away a lot of swag,” Redwine said. “There will be plenty of rainbow flags and other fun stuff.”

Drag Bingo, at the Newport 60+ Activity Center, will run from 3-5 p.m., offering family-friendly fun with prizes up for grabs.

If you are still standing, end the day with the Fabulous Formal at Primaltones Community Venue. The prom, with the theme “Purple Reign,” will begin at 7 p.m. with an all-ages dance and shift towards an adult-only event later in the evening, with live music by Glitterfox, Dj Grythm and late-night performances by Dixie DeLish and more.

Those that didn’t party too hard Saturday can begin the day Sunday at noon at the Newport Pride Run, a 5K run or walk hosted by Ardor Adventures that starts and ends at the Yaquina Bay State Park.

Also at the state park beginning at noon is the more mellow Friends and Family Picnic.

Finally, the lively weekend wraps with the Pride Afterparty at Rogue Spirits Sunset Bar, with food, games and, of course, beer. One dollar from every pint sold will be donated to Newport Oregon Pride to support future events.

A newly formed non-profit, Newport Oregon Pride is “working toward a world in which LGBTQIA2S+ people are affirmed, respected and included in the full social and civic life of their local communities, free from fear of any discrimination, rejection and prejudice.”

Redwine said that events like these help her hope for a better world for not only her own generation, but for her daughter’s as well.

“We get together and celebrate how far we have come, but also to acknowledge the people we have lost along the way and also how far we still have to go,” she said. “Last year’s events were very successful, especially since it was our first one. We had people come from all walks of life. We definitely saw a ton of people from the queer community, but lots of families and allies too, it was really nice. There were so many more people than we expected.”

As June is LGBT Pride month, the bulk of organized Pride events fall within it.

“We decided to have ours in September because we didn’t want to conflict with bigger Pride events that people might want to attend,” Redwine said. “We also applied for some grants to get the first event going, and having it during the ‘shoulder’ season helped with that.”

The community has also stepped up to add to the weekend’s fun with Bridges of Pride, a slate of supporting events co-hosted by the Newport Recreation Center, the Newport 60+ Activity Center, Newport Public Library and the Newport Performing Arts Center.