Pride Fest 2025 happened in the First-Year Housing Quad from 12 to 4 p.m. on April 25. The event was organized and hosted by the Stockton Pride Alliance. 

On a beautiful day with warm air and the sun shining, Pride Fest was held right near the TRLC. While walking through the Quad path, one could see people interacting with the tables at the event, running through the inflatable obstacle course, and taking pictures at the photo area. 

Those that ran the tables helped to promote Pride and educate those attending about the resources available. Resources included mental health services, support groups, and information to find resources in the area. The people who were tabling were seen dancing, singing, and interacting with the Stockton community.

At the tables there were some that were handing out flyers, free items, or shirts. The tables that were selling the shirts were “pay what you can,” and this was done to help promote donations while also understanding that not everyone might have the money to pay for a shirt. Some of the tables that participated in the event was: Brownstone Mental Health Services, Trans Equity Coalition (TEC), Atlantic County Queer Alliance (ACQA), Ocean County Library, and Stockton Democrats Club.

This event was important for queer members of the Stockton community, as when interviewed about the Fest’s importance, President of Pride Alliance, Jecce Harriott stated, “Pride Fest is a super important event for Pride Alliance, we love to showcase that the queer community won’t go away just because someone doesn’t like us. We love to celebrate the queer community and let people know that Stockton is a safe space for queer kids and give them the resources outside of the Stockton community.”

Later in the interview, the topic of pronouns came up and the respectful way to ask someone. Harriott further stated, “When meeting someone for the first time you can say something like ‘it’s nice to meet you, what are your pronouns?’ If you need a reminder you can always just ask ‘what are your pronouns again?’”

To look out for future events, follow @pridealliancesu on instagram and check out their OspreyHub.