COLUMBIA, S.C. — SC Pride hosted their 4th annual Outfest Saturday in downtown Columbia.
Park St. by Art Bar was sectioned off for vendors, music and a whole lot of fun celebrating the LGBTQ community.
"I just am out here spreading love and letting people know that they're loved and that they're not alone," one attendant Dugi Gleason.
People were dancing to a DJ and shopping at vendor pop-ups celebrating each other.
"Outfest is a place where you can feel safe being yourself and not be afraid of what everyone thinks of you being able to be like, this is me. Like I don't have to hide it," said some other guests.
"Outfest is a fundraiser for our Famously Hot South Carolina Pride, ultimately, but it is our recognition of pride month," said SC Pride President Jeff March. "I think it's important because COVID has shut everybody down and we are ready to come back and be visible again and let our presence be known and be out and about with everybody and welcome everybody to our events. And it's time. I think this is going to be a huge event today, bigger than we expecting."
"What we're doing out here is we are opening ourselves up to everybody so people can really be welcome. Make it inclusive for everybody. It's not just about being prideful," Gleason tells us, "If you're not cisgendered or heterosexual or anything like that. I think it's a pride fest for everybody."
"This is a kickoff to pride month is Outfest," March says, "so it's always the first Saturday of June. So this is our celebration to celebrate that."
The bigger event for SC Pride will take place in downtown Columbia in October.