Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride 2023!

[beautifuldreamermods]

⭐ Who: Everyone!
⭐ When: June 10th – 11th
⭐ Where: Yotsuba Park, around Koubai
⭐ What: Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride weekend!

RAINBOW PRIDE

Since the last week or so of May, there's been posters and advertisements scattered around Yumemigaoka so everyone's known it's coming - but if you're a new arrival maybe you're still a little surprised when the weekend of the 10th rolls around and brings the 6th annual Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride event with it! Though it's a relatively recent tradition to the city, those that take part in it seem to have turned the whole thing into a well oiled machine with a cozy festival on the 10th followed by the parade around the city on the 11th.

The weather turns out to be just right for the whole thing - apart from some passing drizzles on the 10th, the weekend is mostly dry and sunny with only a chilly wind dampening the mood occasionally. Other than that, it's perfect weather for a celebration!

Whether you're here for solidarity or just to show your support it's sure to be a good time, so why not stop by?

YOTSUBA PARK

The first part of the Rainbow Pride proceedings is the cheery and lively Rainbow Festival hosted at Yotsuba Park. There's a small entry fee of a few hundred yen, just to help offset some of the costs of running the whole thing, but once you're in and you've got your little hand stamp you're free to stay as long as you like and to come and go as you please. And as it happens, there's plenty to see!

The festival is set up a little like a summer festival at a shrine, with a central "street" of stalls and vendors leading up to the open air stage that's been set up to pump out live music. While there's some food and drink stalls at the top and bottom of this little central street, the majority of the stalls are vendors and sellers with various Pride related goods, art or are otherwise independent queer artists and crafters with some cool goods to offload on the nice folks at the festival. Those of you who attended the DU's anniversary event might find things a little familiar and... well, given that this is the DU we're talking about it shouldn't come as a surprise that there's a big overlap between "Dreamers" and "people who go to Pride".

Apart from the stalls, the main draw of the event is the stage that's been set up for today's festival. A few announcements and speeches get made from up on here but for the most part it's here to provide the promised live music for the event. The music lasts more or less all day with at most a half hour break in between acts and while it's mostly smaller, independent musicians and groups you might also spot a few familiar faces up on stage!


🌈 Ai Hoshino (liedol) will be performing a small set of three songs – a newer solo song and two from her B-Komachi days for old time's sake.
🌈 Connor Murphy (yourattention) is busting out some choreography from a performance planned for a Pride event back in the States – just uh... try not to pay any attention to how much cussing there is in the backing track.
🌈 Rue Lette (loungelizard) will be making an appearance in a killer look put together just for Pride with sax in tow and some equally killer lipsync.


... and plenty others to follow!

The event itself is an all day affair, getting started at around 9:30 in the morning and wrapping at around 10pm, with the live music acts wrapping at 8pm - consideration for the neighbours, yanno? The event is mostly a family friendly festival but the food and drink stalls will start serving alcohol at around 4pm and the final few hours of the festival will turn into a full on party!

Don't get too crazy on Saturday though - as the organizers remind everyone at the closing ceremony, there's still the Rainbow Walk through the city on Sunday so make sure you're fresh faced and ready for that!

KOUBAI

Bright and early Sunday morning, everyone shows up fresh faced and raring to go (or, you know, dragging themselves along the pavement and longing for death and/or an alka seltzer) for the second leg of the Rainbow Pride weekend – the Parade! It's a briskly paced march that heads out from the front of Koubai's most central train station and loops around the district twice before breaking off and heading to the plaza just out front of the Dreamer Union. A much more relaxed answer to yesterday's celebrations has been set up, with a few food trucks and stalls and a large tent set up with seating in the shade and out of the glare of the sun.

Once everyone's back at the tent, there's some speeches and toasting from the organizers, some cheers and promises to be back here for the next year... but mostly, the idea is to relax, unwind and just enjoy spending some time and solidarity with the people you just marched with. Maybe you'll make a new buddy or two on the way!

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Comments

[mnemon]

Even if it's branded, free is free.

[ she's easily bought and she has no morals. just ask the frillnet regulars. ]

But I guess this is... smaller? [ She looks out across the festival a little doubtfully, as if even she's not entirely sure of that. ] Or they have less money to throw around on free stuff, anyway. I was shocked they managed to get so many people roped in to do music.

[dullshooter]

[‘easily bought and has no morals’ that makes two of them.]

See, I’d buy that, except for one thing: the DU. Now those guys have the buying power to spare some free glitter pens - or, hell - even some glowy sticks to wave around during these performances. Which they’ve totally sponsored bee-tee-dubs. I’ve worked it out.

[He hasn’t worked out shit.]

Point is, they could be giving us free stuff, but they aren’t. And you know what that means?

[mnemon]

[ S... lowly nodding along like she gets it.

Then: ] Nope. You've lost me.

[ never mind i guess ]

[dullshooter]

We're entitled to a little thing called compensation.

[He grins.]

Catch my drift?

[mnemon]

I paid six hundred yen to get in here and if you get us kicked out, I'll want compensation from you.

[ do crime... RESPONSIBLY ]

[dullshooter]

Sooooo...

[He fishes something out of his pocket and waves it idly.]

Taking it that you don't want a glitter pen?

[mnemon]

[ . . . ]

I never said that.

[ free stationary supplies........ ]

[dullshooter]

[He throws it to her, kind of missing the mark entirely but, hey, maybe she’s better at catching than he is at throwing.]

Think of it as a “happy pride” gift from a queer elder.

[He’s in his twenties.]

If anyone asks, that thing cost you 300 yen. Got it?

[mnemon]

[ Unbelievably, she catches it. Ryoko looks just as surprised by this turn of events as anyone else. ]

... You really risked it all for a 300 yen glitter pen?

[ Or, you know. "Thanks". ]

[dullshooter]

[...]

You wouldn't?

[mnemon]

For 300 yen? No way. 1500, maybe, and I'd think about it.

[ what the hell kind of glitter pen would that even BE ]

[dullshooter]

1500 just for a maybe? Geez.

[He places a hand on his chest.]

Trust me, when you're older, you'll find your standards go way down.