2023 Champaign-Urbana Pride Fest brings community to campus

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Uniting Pride hosted the 2023 Champaign-Urbana Pride Festival in downtown Urbana on Saturday.

The festival celebrated the LGBTQ community, along with Pride for those in the area. More than that, it celebrated a sense of community.

“We are always talking about the concept of chosen family, so we want to build that within our community, within the C-U area,” President of Uniting Pride Valena Hedin said. “Come to us, and we will be your community; we will help you build that community.”

University of Illinois Sophomore Jazmin Wilkins agreed that the festival packed strong community values into their celebration.

“To feel a sense of community amongst everyone, all different kinds of backgrounds, all different organizations, it’s nice for us all to be able to come together to celebrate this one thing,” Wilkins said.

Although Pride Month is in…