This year, some exciting changes are coming to 27th annual Nashville Pride. The festival, which is being held later in June, will avoid conflicting with other major events and festivals, such as the Country Music Awards and Bonnaroo, as well as with Father’s Day. This has also given Pride the opportunity to schedule an entire month of events aimed at a variety of audiences to build up to the big event.

The Nashville Pride committee, driven by its top corporate sponsor, Bridgestone, assembled an impressive and diverse array of entertainers this year, including St Lucia, The Veronicas, MYA, Cazwell, Shelly Fairchild, Sinclair, *repeat repeat, Hank and Cupcake, Indiana Queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Chad Michaels.

In addition to Indiana Queen, a “queer alternative country” band based in Nashville, local talent will be on prominent display, with 2014 Miss Nashville Pride Obscenity and RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Jaydenn Diore Fierce hosting from the main stage throughout the festival, with QDP, DJ Ron, Lady B, and DJ Remedy spinning.

St Lucia, a band led by South African singer Jean-Philip Grobler, will bring its unique brand of dreamy, nostalgic pop to the Pride Festival this year. St Lucia enjoyed a very successful 2014, on the heels of their release of “When the Night” in late 2013. Ryan Lathan, founder of The Sonic Hive, called their album “a flawlessly constructed record,” so expect to be impressed. The group has recently toured with Ellie Goulding and Charli XCX, and performed at festivals including Lollapalooza, Governors Ball and Firefly.

Grammy Award winning singer and actress Mya will bring some of her many hits, including “Lady Marmalade,” “Ghetto Superstar,” and “My Love is Like…Wo,” to the Pride Stage. In addition to boasting an impressive music career spanning more than fifteen years, MYA’s award winning role in the musical film Chicago, a turn on Dancing With the Stars, and numerous Pride Festival appearances have left the crowds aching for more. This “triple threat” promises to heat up an already hot Pride stage and give Nashville a show it’s not soon likely to forget.

The Australian pop duo The Veronicas, who are back on tour supporting their new album, The Veronicas. The group, formed in 2005, is composed of identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. After their initial flash in the pan, The Veronicas took a lengthy hiatus, which was broken by their July 2012 release of their single, “Lolita.” In a testament to their talent and enduring popularity, “Lolita” entered the Top 40. Just last September, the duo released "You Ruin Me", the first single from their third album, which came out in November. The song, which debuted at number one on the ARIA Charts, became the sisters' second chart topping single and their first to debut in the top spot.

American singer-songwriter Cazwell brings a very different talent to Nashville Pride. Cazwell’s use of distinct blends of hip-hop, rap, and other genres to focus on gay and bisexual urban themes are adult-oriented and have sometimes been controversial. For instance, his debut album Get Into It includes the songs “The Sex That I Need” and “All Over Your Face.” The latter song was banned from Logo for its themes and lyrics, and its highly sexualized lyrics. And while Cazwell claimed his “Ice Cream Truck” was supposed to be a cute, summertime music video, its provocative use of sexy club dancers led YouTube to flag it as adult content.

With more high profile drag and an exciting lineup of entertainers, the 27th Nashville Pride Festival has something to offer everyone. This year’s lead-up to the event likewise provides a lot of different opportunities for people to get into the spirit. A drag brunch at hot dining spot POP, a comedy night at Zanies, and a Pride Night at the Nashville Sounds are just a few of the many events that will no doubt draw very *proud* crowds!

This year’s Nashville Pride Festival will take place at Public Square Park on Friday and Saturday June 26th and 27th at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville. Nashville Pride Weekend passes are $25.00 and are on sale now. Entrance into the Festival on Saturday June 27th is $5 cash at the door without a weekend pass. Dates and time for specific performances will be released at a later date.