A Pride-themed block party, planned as the “signature event” in Arlington during Pride Month, has been canceled less than three weeks before it was scheduled to happen.
Logistical challenges proved insurmountable for the Arlington Pride Block Party, which was originally expected to draw hundreds of attendees to Crystal City’s Restaurant Row area on Saturday, June 6, organizers announced yesterday (Monday).
Equality Arlington, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group and the party’s lead organizer, instead plans to host a free movie screening at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (1660 Crystal Drive) on the same date, with the goal of hosting a block party next year.
“Given the scale of the plans for live music and performances, community-centered programming and storytelling, local food vendors, and nonprofit, government, and business vendors, the coalition of groups organizing the event has made the decision to postpone the block party until Pride 2027,” Equality Arlington said in a press release.
The nonprofit is partnering with the National Landing BID to show the 1995 comedy-drama, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.” The theater is expected to accommodate around 100 guests for the screening.
“This iconic, feel-good comedy follows three fabulous drag queens on a cross-country adventure that turns a small Midwestern town upside down — in the best way possible,” an Eventbrite description reads.
Advertised as a community-led Pride event for all ages, the block party was projected to draw about 450 guests to 23rd Street S., an area home to longtime LGBTQ+ haven Freddie’s Beach Bar. It was organized by Equality Arlington and dozens of nonprofits, businesses, civic associations and faith communities.
Equality Arlington held its first block party coalition meeting around mid-March, after approaching the county about assembling a stakeholder group, President Kellen MacBeth told ARLnow. The meeting took place months after the county’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee — a separate advisory body — began brainstorming about Pride activities.
“We tried to push forward with it as long as we could, before we just hit some barriers, in terms of being able to raise the amount of money in time to put it on, and making sure that we had one organization that could be the permit holder, and kind of like the main sponsor,” MacBeth told ARLnow. “It was a lot to do in a short amount of time, and ultimately the group decided, let’s pause planning.”
On April 28, the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee voted to ask the county to fulfill $9,100 of an estimated $35,000 budget to cover police staffing, parking and permitting. Ultimately, the committee’s request “never actually got that far” with county officials, MacBeth said, as the planning coalition had already internally decided to cancel the event by the first week of this month.
“I don’t know what would have happened,” MacBeth said. “I like to think that they at least would have met some of the costs, but now we’ll see how we can work with them to make a really great event for 2027.”
Ahead of WorldPride celebrations in D.C last year, the Arlington County government sponsored a block party centered around a Pride-themed light projection artwork at Ellen M. Bozman Government Center Plaza.
The replacement movie screening is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 6 and will be followed by a Pride party at Water Park across the street.
“We’re definitely grateful and excited for this, even if it’s going to be on a smaller scale than what we had originally hoped for the block party,” MacBeth said.
Although the block party is off the books, several other local Pride programs and events are planned throughout June, including a Pride Senior Prom at Central Library (June 12), Pride history trivia at the Columbia Pike Library (June 25) and the sixth annual Penrose Pride Parade (June 28).
In the meantime, the nonprofit has said that it looks forward to working with the community to organize next year’s block party to “showcase the talent, spirit and vibrancy of Arlington’s LGBTQIA+ community.”
“It has been exciting to see so many organizations across Arlington County coming together to shape a community-centered Pride event around the 23rd Street South corridor. While our coalition has made the difficult decision to postpone the Arlington Pride Block Party until 2027, we look forward to ensuring that the event, and those that follow it in subsequent years, brings together the Arlington community in celebration of our LGBTQIA+ residents who contribute so much to the vibrancy of our community.”
