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SNAPI keeps the Pride party going all year long

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Guests attend the Las Vegas Pride Festival at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater on September 19, 2015.
Sonia Seelinger

The vibrant parade floats have made their procession down Fourth Street, the drag queens have returned to their showrooms and dressing rooms, and spectators’ rainbow flags have been rolled up and stowed away until next September.

But even though the annual, weeklong celebration of Las Vegas Pride concluded last month, the Pride party is long but over. That’s because the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc. keeps the spirit of Pride alive throughout the year, organizing recurring and one-off events all around the Las Vegas Valley.

2015 Las Vegas Pride Festival

“We’re a very transient city,” says Ernie Yuen, executive director of Las Vegas PRIDE. “To keep the LGBT community engaged we decided to have monthly events.” Yuen also cites the city’s 24/7 nature and the resulting varied work schedules among LGBT community members as reasons to keep SNAPI’s events going long after its annual Pride Parade and Festival are over.

And these regular happenings are no new thing. Yuen says SNAPI’s monthly Pride Bingo event has been going strong for 13 years now. “It’s out of the bar [and] family-friendly,” says Yuen, adding that SNAPI wanted to offer events for LGBT Las Vegans with children to “be inclusive,” as many of the Pride events are often parties at bars that only allow patrons 21 years of age or older.

Other kid-friendly Pride events include the Las Vegas Pride OUTside event, a monthly hike at Mount Charleston, and one-off events like the animal-focused Pride Pets gathering.

17th Annual Pride Parade

The organization also sponsors SNAPI Saturdays, monthly parties at gay bars around town, and even puts on Orgullo Latino, a Latin Pride celebration, in May. Yuen says plans are in the works for SNAPI’s Rainbow Festival at Mount Charleston in the spring, and that the organization is looking at doing movie nights in the Valley and Pride events in both Pahrump and Laughlin.

“We’re the only Pride that I know of that actually does year-round activities with their community. Most major Prides … you only hear from them once a year,” says Yuen. “And that’s during their festivals.”

So, want to join the rainbow-splashed celebration throughout the year? SNAPI’s next event is the Pride OUTside hike, scheduled for October 11. Find all the details at lasvegaspride.org.

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