Grab your umbrella and an extra pair of shoes and get ready to Queer Crawl! There are 6 festivals that are either Pride specific or are LGBTQ+ friendly that will be held on Saturday:
- Start your day in picturesque town of Afton, MN at the Strawberry Festival which gets underway at 10 am and runs until 5 pm on Friday. Note that this festival also runs from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday as well.
- Drive north on the St. Croix Trail Hwy 95 and make your way over to the Scandia, Minnesota and the wonderful Midsommardagen Festival that runs on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday only. Where else can you get your Swedish Meatball sandwiches and pickled herring and enjoy Swedish dancing, arts and crafts, and even a May pole?
- Next stop is the Valley Wide Pride Festival in Hudson that runs from 9 am to 4 pm at the Hudson High School. Note that this is a ONE DAY ONLY event and Hudson’s second year hosting a Pride Festival!
- And while you are on the east side of the Saint Croix, make your way south to River Falls to visit Garden Divas for their Happy Summer Festival that runs both Saturday and Sunday.
- A great way to wrap up the day would be to head up to Franconia for their incredible Midsummer Pride Party that runs from 5 pm – 10 pm.
- All of the above events are FREE but there is one very special event that you need to buy tickets to attend and will be held in River Falls at the Garage Bikes and Brews. It’s the first year for Kinnistock (which is a play on our beautiful Kinnickinnic river + Woodstock), and it runs from 11 am – 11 pm.
If you actually make it to all of these events and hashtag a photo at each one #queercrawl2024 I will paint you or your pet’s portrait for free! Have fun out there, be safe and know that if you overdo it, Ben and West Central Wisconsin can give you a lift – and he’s offering 40% off!