Thessaloniki hosted EuroPride 2024 and DAGR's Thessaloniki Chapter was there to support the celebration. Chapter Chair Randall Warner and Communications Team writer Linda Manney have gathered up a few photos from the stellar event. Linda Manney carries us through the week with her captions.
EuroPride Thessaloniki 2024 culminated on Friday and Saturday, June 28-29, with the EuroPride Fair, set up at the YMCA Park in Central Thessaloniki. Bringing together large numbers of local residents as well as a sizeable crowd of international visitors, the EuroPride Fair featured live music, a number of concession stands, and two long rows of information stalls set up along the walkway that crosses the park. DAGR Thessaloniki was a highly visible presence at the EuroPride Fair, from the opening hours early Friday morning to closing time on Saturday night.
EuroPride Day 1: Pouring Rain
Scattered showers and strong winds temporarily halted the flow of traffic at the EuroPride Fair on Friday, June 28. The outdoor concert scheduled for late afternoon at the far end of the park was also cancelled due to rainy weather.
Wet volunteers welcome heavy booth traffic
Despite scattered showers, DAGR Thessaloniki volunteers maintained an energetic presence at the DAGR booth. DAGR volunteers Christine Calbos, Barry Feldman, Daniel Roberts and Francoise Falise were wet but undaunted as they welcomed and attended to a steady stream of visitors to the DAGR booth.
DAY 2 Sun! NonstopTraffic
Uncomfortably warm temperatures did not discourage the large number of visitors who came to the DAGR booth on Saturday, June 29. Some were local residents, including American citizens who needed help with the VFA site; others were international visitors who wanted to discuss current political developments in the USA. Here we see the Saturday day shift taking a quick breather: Daniel Roberts, Peter Baiter, Randall Warner, and Barry Feldman.
ThessMay HonorsDAGR
On Saturday, a number of local civic leaders visited the DAGR booth, including the Mayor of Thessaloniki. In the photo, Daniel Roberts and Christine Calbos are accompanied by the Mayor of Thessaloniki, the Honorable Stelios Angeloudis.
Engaging with DA member and daughter
On both days of the EuroPride Fair, Randall took a leading role in explaining the function of VFA and DA to interested visitors. When an American citizen and her young daughter stopped by the booth on Saturday afternoon, Randall focused on the November 2024 Presidential elections, and explained how easy it is for Americans abroad to register to vote from the VFA site.
Just Scan the DA + VFA QR’s
Throughout the two-day EuroPride Fair, DAGR volunteers had numerous opportunities to show visitors how easy it is to access the VFA and DA sites by scanning the QR codes. Randall had also brought a lot of mementos to give to visitors, including DA and VFA buttons, pens, notepads, and promotional literature. Visitors to the DAGR booth clearly had a memorable experience!
The whole world should vote, not just Americans!
A lot of visitors who are not American citizens came to the DAGR booth to talk about the upcoming November Presidential election. Many of them expressed their concerns, and DA volunteer Barry Feldman responded accordingly! As Barry noted, "So many Europeans and other international people came to the booth and really wanted to talk about the US elections. They are well informed, and you could see how incredibly concerned and worried they are. And there was this one young woman from the Netherlands who told me: ‘The whole world should be voting in the November elections, not just Americans!' "
DancingtilDawnwithEuroPrideCommunity!
After the EuroPride Fair ended at 11pm on Saturday, people from local and visiting LGBTI communities continued celebrating EuroPride at Post-Pride gatherings around town. A local organizer sent me to Expose, a well-known gay bar in central Thessaloniki, and I had a great time. The bartenders and customers were friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere was exuberant. I really liked dancing and watching live performances, and reluctantly left at 3am Sunday morning.
Overall, DAGR volunteers at the EuroPride Fair were highly engaged from start to finish. In spite of rain storms and high temperatures, DAGR volunteers talked to a large number of people from a variety of backgrounds, and continued to strengthen ties with the local Thessaloniki community.
Note:
Randall Warner would like to acknowledge the team of volunteers who helped staff the DAGR information booth during the EuroPride Fair: Peter Baiter, Christine Calbos, Francoise Falise, friend of DAGR, and Barry Feldman, Linda Manney, Effie Nabhan, and Daniel Roberts.