AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Pride Festival organizers expect thousands to gather in Hardesty Park on Saturday to celebrate the LGBTQ community, queer history and the future of the fight for equality.

The third annual Akron Pride Festival is free and scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Hardesty Park at West Market Street and Hawkins Avenue in Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood.

Festivities begin at 10 a.m. with an Equality March that kicks off in Highland Square, on West Market Street near the Highland Square library.

The mile-and-a-half parade will travel west on West Market Street to Hardesty Park, the site of the festival.

The third annual Akron Pride Festival will be on Saturday at Hardesty Park in Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood.Akron Pride Festival

Julie Pryseski, chair of the festival’s steering committee, said Akron Pride drew more than 16,000 people to the park last year, and she expects even more this year.

More than 200 vendors including artists, businesses and organizations are expected to have exhibits, along with about two dozen food and snack trucks. There will also be a kids’ zone in the middle of the park.

“We talk a lot about allies and inclusivity, so bring your kids, bring your leashed dog,” Pryseski said. “Everyone is welcome.”

How to get there:

In addition to marching with the parade, there are a few options for getting to Hardesty Park.

Pryseski recommends taking the free trolley that will loop from the Red Cross at 501 West Market Street, to Highland Square, to Hardesty Park from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Metro RTA is also offering free fares on all services on Saturday. The festival and Highland Square are accessible on Route 1, Market Street.

Parking on site and in the neighborhood will be extremely limited, Pryseski said. There is reserved parking for people with disabilities.

In a partnership with Lyft, attendees can receive 20% off of one free ride either to or from Hardesty Park with code “LYFTWITHPRIDE19.” Lyft employees will be at a designated pick-up and drop-off spot at the park.

What to expect:

In addition to the vendors and activities, more than a dozen acts plan to perform on two stages, with some nationally known performers on the “Main Stage” and local and regional artists on the “Equality Stage.”

Main Stage:

11 a.m. DJ SPY: Welcome to Pride featuring LGBT colorguard Flaggots Ohio

12:15 p.m. Ladies Night, men perform pop diva covers

1:15 p.m. James Major Burns, a singer who specializes in Broadway tunes

2:15 p.m. Drag performances from the Kings & Queens of Akron Pride

4:45 p.m. Steve Grand, singer-songwriter

6 p.m. Deborah Cox, R&B singer and Broadway star

Equality Stage:

11:30 a.m. Denise Russell, a drag queen who sings live and does impersonations

12:30 p.m. dj.mind.e

2 p.m. Just Us Line Dance Crew

3 p.m. Millennial Theater Project, performance from Priscilla: Queen of the Desert at the Akron Civic Theatre Aug. 29-31.

4 p.m. DreamStates

5 p.m. Detention

For the hearing impaired, sign-language interpreters will be on the stages, Pryseski said.

Brian Lamoda, chair of Akron Pride’s entertainment committee, said a section of the park will honor the trans women of color who have been murdered this year.

“In 2019, I believe we’re up to 15 [women who have been killed],” Lamoda said. “We’re holding a tribute. We have an area which will be like a memorial and we plan on saying their names on the main stage.”

Other events:

Thursday: Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, D.C. is slated to give a free talk at 7:30 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theatre.

Friday: A happy hour at Northside Marketplace (21 Furnace Street) at 5 p.m. will be accompanied by DJs and live music on the nearby green, where cyclists plan to embark on a Pride Ride around the city with Dirty River Bicycle Works at 6 p.m. Brave & Crazy, a Melissa Etheridge tribute band, is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. at Jilly’s Music Room (111 North Main Street). Latinx night at Interbelt Nightclub (70 North Howard Street) is scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. and will feature RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 contestant Plastique Tiara.

Through Aug. 28: Sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt are on display in the atrium of the Summit County Courthouse. The quilt was started 30 years ago and includes names of thousands of people who have died from AIDS. Visitors can view them on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Wednesday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City which sparked the gay rights movement.

“Some people think that we’re done," Lamoda said. “We got marriage equality and we’re done. But we’re not. There’s so much more to do.”

Pryseski said the event is about remembering the LGBT activists who fought for equal rights.

“We celebrate pride, but we can’t forget those that we’ve lost and why pride is so important, and it’s because of Stonewall and the leadership and what they did for the gay community in 1969,” she said.