Bayonne Hosts Historic First Pride Festival Showcasing LGBTQ+ Solidarity

Bayonne’s inaugural Pride Festival marked a historic step for the city, uniting residents at G. Thomas DiDomenico Park on Saturday with a message of acceptance, community, and dignity.

“This festival is the Bayonne Heritage Association’s love letter to anyone in Bayonne, or anywhere, who has ever felt unwelcome, unloved, or unwanted. Take a look around. You are welcome, you are loved, you are wanted,” said Cindi Sisk-Galvin, president of the Bayonne Heritage Association, to a crowd of attendees.

Bayonne Heritage Association, a women-led nonprofit organization, hosted the festival alongside city officials and over 20 local vendors, from local LGBTQ+ organizations to nearby restaurants.

Rainbow banners and Pride memorabilia were distributed at the park, and drag performers such as Harmonica Sunbeam walked the catwalk with signature poses.

“Bayonne is saying that you matter, that your life matters and that you are important to us,” said Harmonica Sunbeam. “Love will always outshine the negativity.”

Pride celebrations have become a way for the LGBTQ+ community across New Jersey to celebrate identity, confront anti-LGBTQ+ hatred, and deepen the threads of solidarity and activism, organizers said. 

“In the last 150 years, people in the LGBQA+ community were rendered invisible, or worse yet, harmed and jailed,” said Michele Dupey, a chairmember of the Hudson County LGBTQ+ Advisory Task Force. “So having this county voice is such a historical departure and one in which we are thrilled.”

The celebration joined a growing number of local pride celebrations across the state. Over 35 municipalities across 14 counties hosted Pride events last year, according to a Pride calendar events page by More Jersey. 

Pride events in New Jersey  ranged from large city parades to quieter community-festivals and dialogue spaces,  each echoing the ongoing fight for visibility.

Municipalities such as Jersey City recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pride Month, kicking off the celebration in  August, two months after it is nationally celebrated in June. 

“Having lived in Bayonne for some years before Jersey City, I always wanted to see the city host an LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration, so I was thrilled to come out and support Bayonne’s very first festival,” said Dan Israel, a gay city council-candidate for Jersey City. “It was a love-filled testament to the visibility, representation, equality and equity that we have secured so far and continue to fight for in Bayonne, Jersey City, and across Hudson County.”

The Pride Festival in Bayonne’s, the first of its kind, is supported by the United States Association of Prides, a nationwide nonprofit organization helping educate and empower members in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Eduardo Baez, who is one of the co-founders of Jersey City Pride, highlighted the growth of Pride events in New Jersey, noting a 50% increase from 2024 to 2025. 

“We have to realize that people are coming out more and our voices matter,” said Baez, to New Jersey Urban News. “It is inspiring to see this event come together and the future Pride events that are to follow, we need to keep speaking out.”