By Todd Rivers
Watertown Resident
In June 2025, Watertown Pride will kick-off its fourth consecutive year of celebrations, fostering unity and diversity in Watertown and beyond. With a parade, festival, and much more planned throughout June, Watertown’s celebration this year would not be possible without the hard work and insights of all those involved in the years prior.
In 2022, the staff of the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) wanted to respond to the longing people were feeling for connection, especially as we all were slowly coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ready to see our neighbors face to face. The city’s LGBT+ community were not immune to these feelings, not only coping with feelings of social isolation, but also facing the unfortunate reality that Boston Pride had been cancelled that year.
WFPL is a major catalyst in the community, and part of its mission is to create connection and community through its services, materials, programs and more. With library staff eager to respond by creating an event that matched this mission, the inaugural Watertown Pride Extravaganza (WPEx) was born.
Touting the theme “Be Yourself, Change the World”, WPEx was a grassroots effort that highlighted inclusivity and celebration. Not only was its purpose to lift and celebrate our LGBT+ citizens of all ages, but planners also strived to bring together the many diverse groups that make up the Watertown community.
WPEx and the early efforts in creating this meaningful program were made possible by the staff who wrote and received local and state grants to hire BIPOC performers, as well as the City’s investments supporting the development of this event. Activist bands and high school musicians were enlisted to lead a six-block parade to a local park. It was there that community members were met with community resource tables for the schools’ Gay Straight Alliances, parents’ groups, and social agencies that work with the LGBT+ community. The Library’s makerspace offered tie-dying, and tents and tables were rented using grant funding. Several staff worked the event, managed volunteers, and even participated in training of how to handle protesters to ensure the event remained inviting and inclusive for all to join. In total, we were able to bring in 1,200 attendees in 2022, and over 1,500 in 2023.
Watertown Pride 2024, primarily managed by the newly formed Watertown City Events Team, sought to foster what the WFPL team had built in years prior and deliver a vibrant, inclusive event to the community, through art, entertainment, and celebration.
In the weeks leading up to the event, the community participated in multiple art installations displaying unity and love. First, residents were invited to paint wooden hearts representing what Pride meant to them, which were later unveiled at the Pride Festival and displayed at the park throughout the summer. At the entrance of City Hall, community volunteers and City staff also painted a striking rainbow on the arched sidewalk, welcoming visitors with a message of diversity and support.
The festival’s parade route saw an exciting expansion, with local residents and city vehicles marching together down a community path and onto Main Street, showcasing the spirit of togetherness that defines Watertown Pride.
Parade and festival goers were treated to an array of live entertainment, interactive guest experiences, and even a rare “fire rainbow”, which appeared in the sky that afternoon—a mesmerizing optical phenomenon caused by sunlight refracting through ice crystals in high-altitude cirrus clouds Watertown Pride 2024 sought to be more than just a festival, but a radiant expression of community, love, and pride that left a lasting impression on all who attended.
Watertown Pride 2025
This year, the City of Watertown has formed the 2025 Watertown Pride Committee, a volunteer group of LGBT+ residents, City staff, and Watertown Library staff, all to work alongside the City Events Team and host an inclusive, diverse, representative event for the community. With the theme “All Together Now,” this year’s Pride celebration is building upon the important efforts that have come before it and further encouraging everything Watertown Pride stands for: unity, love, and celebration.
The festivities will kick off with the Pride Parade from Moxley Field, down Main Street, across the newly painted rainbow crosswalk and into Saltonstall Park for the festival. The event will feature high-energy performances and inspiring, trans-affirming motivational speeches. Festival-goers can enjoy delicious food, cocktails, and mocktails from a local LGBT+-friendly business, shop from local queer and ally vendors, and explore the Watertown Free Public Library’s Bookmobile and Learning Corner, where visitors can not only learn about queer history but also share their own stories. Families and kids will have plenty to enjoy with a Kid’s Game Zone, participate
in the second installment of the Pride community art project, and much more!
We invite Watertown and beyond to join us in celebrating love, pride, and community on Sunday, June 1, from noon to 4:00 PM at Saltonstall Park, Watertown, MA. For more information, sponsorship opportunities, vendor registration, merchandise purchases, or donations, visit www.watertownpride.com.
Come celebrate with us—because Pride is always better when we’re All Together Now!
Todd Rivers is a volunteer committee member for Watertown Pride.