June 5, 2024 at 1:08 am by Devin Gowdy / Daily Nexus
To kick off the beginning of Pride Month, the Associated Students Trans & Queer Commission in collaboration with the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District held their second annual Queer Fest on June 1 at Little Acorn Park. Although the festival was originally scheduled for April, the commission rescheduled with minimal financial loss.
TQC had an annual budget of about $100,000 for the 2023-24 school year, $5,000 of which they allocated to Queer Fest. Devin Gowdy / Daily Nexus
The Associated Students Trans & Queer Commission (TQC) originally scheduled Queer Fest for its annual Pride Week on April 13. However, due to heavy rainfall, the event was postponed. No alternative venues were available at the time and securing canopies was not feasible, fourth-year environmental studies major and TQC Co-Chair Isabella Ramirez said.
TQC had an annual budget of about $100,000 for the 2023-24 school year, $5,000 of which they allocated to Queer Fest. Although TQC had some difficulties re-contracting performers and moving reservations, Ramirez said there was minimal financial loss due to the postponement.
“We luckily did not lose out on the money for [the photo booth] because the person was very kind and allowed us to reschedule it for our queer prom, which happened the day before,” Ramirez said. “For things like the food and the tables and chairs, the [Isla Vista Recreation and Park District (IVRPD)] covered those funds, and they did not lose out on anything because they were able to move the food to this Saturday and they ended up using the tables and chairs for another event.”
The IVRPD offered financial support by funding catering, supplying tables and chairs and waiving park rental fees for the event, according to Ramirez.
Ramirez said the biggest issue with rescheduling was recontracting the performers. All four performers — Ex-Girlfriends Anonymous, Navya Gupta, Skinny Dip and Lemon Generation — were available for the new date.
Some vendors were not able to attend the rescheduled event, including the County of Santa Barbara Animal Services, which planned to bring dogs in need of adoption. TQC installed activities like a dunk tank and obstacle course to supplement vendors who were unable to come to the postponed event.
The festival also featured free food from Naan Stop, bunny adoption with Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter, jewelry making, tote bag decorating, a “3-for-free” clothing swap with Isla Vista Trading Post and more. Devin Gowdy / Daily Nexus
The festival also featured free food from Naan Stop, bunny adoption with Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter, jewelry making, tote bag decorating, a “3-for-free” clothing swap with Isla Vista Trading Post and more. The event had approximately 450 attendees, and TQC invited over 20 LGBTQIA+ businesses to sell products like hand-made pottery, crocheted items, jewelry and ceramics.
“Having public events like Queer Fest is a great way to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community and to bring people closer together. It’s also a great way to support small queer businesses and queer musicians in I.V.,” Ramirez said.
First-year psychological & brain sciences major Hailey Clark sold custom crocheted products, including stuffed animals, phone holders and blankets.
“I went to other events this year and they were very welcoming. So, I wanted to participate and show off my hobby,” Clark said.
Fourth-year Chicana and Chicano studies major Luis Ledezma sold pins from his personal pin collection.
“It’s always a nice community. You get to see a lot of queer people. I don’t see them that much in school, so it’s a nice opportunity to see them all gather in one place,” Ledezma said.
Ledezma also attended the first Queer Fest in 2023. He said this year’s festival was “way bigger.”
There were more vendors, more activities and more than double the attendees as compared to last year — which had approximately 200 attendees. In the first hour of the event, dozens of people swarmed the “3-for-free” clothing swap and a line of around 50 people waiting for free food stretched across the center of the park.
“Overall, Queer Fest was a huge success for us. It was one of our biggest events of the year, just after the Pride Drag Show. We definitely were not expecting that many people to show up,” Ramirez said. “It seemed like a bunch of people were loving all of the activities, and the huge turnout was great for the vendors and musicians.”
June 5, 2024 at 1:08 am by Devin Gowdy / Daily Nexus
