CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — The vibrant greens of Nampa's Lakeview Park are soon to be filled with all the colors of the rainbow.
With Pride Month just around the corner, Canyon County will be getting its first-ever pride festival this June.
"We know that Canyon County is a place that really needs something like this," Canyon County Pride founder Tom Wheeler said. "This year, nationally, we've seen hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills go through senates and legislatures across the country - even more reason to create a safe space for folks to come express themselves and be themselves."
The Canyon County Pride Festival will create a safe space for the 2C's LGBTQ+ community to come together and celebrate Pride Month in a welcoming, inclusive space.
The event will feature live music, a DJ, food vendors, local nonprofits and more.
Canyon County Pride is crowdfunding through GoFundMe to make the event a reality.
"Every dollar counts," Wheeler said. "The funds are going to go directly to our operating costs. We have quite a few costs and precautions we're taking just to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible."
Boise Pride draws thousands of attendees each year. However, Boise's festival takes place in September, so Canyon County Pride is the only pride festival taking place in the Treasure Valley during Pride Month.
The festival takes place Sunday, June 9 at Lakeview Park in Nampa from 1-4 p.m..
"We really are excited to see a representation of folks in Canyon County, because there are LGBTQ+ folks in Canyon County and across the state of Idaho. This is an opportunity for those folks to be seen and really celebrate just existing as an LGBTQ+ person in a place like Idaho," Wheeler said. "We're super excited for the opportunity that the City of Nampa has given us to put this on, and we can't wait to really make history in putting this on for the first time in Canyon County."
More information about Canyon County Pride can be found on the festival's Facebook and Instagram pages. The festival fundraiser can be found here.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.