June is Pride Month, and nobody does Pride quite like New York City. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, the city is pulling out all the stops to put on the biggest and best celebration of gay pride yet.
Kygo, the headliner of the UTOPIA event.
Photo provided by Jake Resnicow and Project Publicity, Inc.
This year’s biggest Pride event is sure to be UTOPIA, a closing party for the Pride 2019 Festival. UTOPIA will take place at the Javits Center on June 30 starting at 8 p.m. The annual NYC Pride March will occur that same afternoon, making UTOPIA the perfect place to continue the Pride party even after the parade is over.
Kygo, the famous Norwegian DJ and record producer, is headlining the event. UTOPIA will not only be Kygo’s first Pride performance, but his first appearance in New York City since he sold out the Barclays Center in May 2018.
In an interview with Billboard Dance, Kygo expressed his gratitude about playing such a historic event.
“I’m honored to play,” he said. “Supporting the LGBTQ community is very important to me. I’ve been excited for a while to announce this one, and can’t wait to put on a very special show.”
Kygo won’t be the only source of entertainment at UTOPIA. In addition to the legendary DJ, the event will feature a full orchestra and performances by Cirque du Soleil, Kiiara, Jhart, Danny Verde, Leomeo and other special guests.
Jake Resnicow, the mastermind producer behind UTOPIA.
Photo provided by Jake Resnicow and Project Publicity, Inc.
Jake Resnicow is the mastermind producer behind UTOPIA, working to put together the most memorable Pride celebration in New York City’s history. Resnicow was recently named “Most Influential Person of the Year” by Out Magazine.
Resnicow put together the entire Pride Festival 2019, which is the world’s largest Pride music festival in history. The festival includes multiple events all throughout the month of June, including a rooftop party at Pier 17 and WE Pride Main Event at the Javits Center, both of which are taking place on June 29. The Pride Festival culminates with UTOPIA on June 30.
“It’s always been a dream to bring the EDM music festival experience,” Resnicow said in regards to planning Pride Festival 2019 and UTOPIA specifically. “Kygo is one of the most exciting DJs today, selling out stadiums across the globe and for the first time, bringing his magic to Pride. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
The goal of UTOPIA, and the Pride Festival in general, is to bring the LGBTQ community and its allies under one roof and all on one dance floor to celebrate the progress and resilience of the gay community. Even without the enticement of world-class performances from the likes of Kygo and Cirque du Soleil, this is certainly a mission we can all get behind.
Screenshot courtesy of Showclix.
Tickets for UTOPIA can be found at the following website. As if you need another reason to grab tickets before they’re gone, all net proceeds will benefit LGBTQ charities Stonewall Gives Back Initiative, LIFEBeat and Trevor Project. Happy Pride!
Feature image courtesy of Showclix.
Lucie Turkel is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at lucie.turkel@uconn.edu.
