TIMELINE & CONSIDERATIONS
FOR PARTICIPATION

Our timeline and consideration for selecting and administrating the Loudoun Pride Festival, to include contractors, sponsors, vendors, and other participants is based on a number of factors to include funding, permit requirements, turnover time for graphic products, and availability of our volunteers. Please see the information below for participation based on each type of participation. 


Alcohol & Food Vendors
We have an invitation-only process, meaning applicants should not apply through our vendor process. Our primary concern is ensuring proper turnover, variety, ease of use, quality of the food or alcohol, ability to serve attendees quickly, friendliness, diversity of food or alcohol, commitment to LGBTQ+ affirmation, aesthetics of vehicle or site, and bringing in new vendors to share with the community. In the industry, there are numerous difficulties submitting and keeping current permits, which is why we work to prioritize vendors who can provide timely permitting, notice to participate forms, and registration, as well as those that communicate in a timely manner with organizers.

Our selection process usually begins in January and the first round of invites is issued in mid to late February. Final invites are sent by March. We expect responses, invoices, and permits within 2 weeks of the your invitation. If you are interested in being considered for future events, please email us.

Contractors
Our selection of contractors is based on the best value for attendees, affordability, cleanliness, friendliness, reliability, commitment to LGBTQ+ affirmation, and availability. Every year, we review dozens of contractors that cover our activities, stage and sound, furniture, insurance, and more to ensure we operating in the best interest of the festival, our volunteers, and attendees. We make selections of our contractors from November through January. If you are interested in being considered for future events, please email us.

Entertainers
Entertainment is at the core of our efforts. We get dozens of emails each year from prospective entertainers. We work to provide a festival atmosphere through the stage by offering a diverse style of music, with the goal of highlighting queer musicians and performers. We do not consider student groups, public speakers, dance-only performances, or limited medium performances due to efforts to limit changeover, space and safety considerations, and ability to deliver the best experience possible on an open-field stage. Our preference is for multi-piece performers and larger bands or groups for headliners and opening acts. We do consider comedians, solo performers, or solo musicians for mid-day performances.

We utilize an SL-100 mobile stage with standard concert venue sound system, so utilizing space, acoustics, providing engaging visuals, and being able to provide specialized equipment are preferred. We also require delivery of equipment on site before the beginning of the festival to avoid issues with vehicles being on site during the festival for safety purposes. Our performers are provided a changing area with lighting, mirrors, seating, and refreshments for up to one hour prior to their performance. We do not entertain riders as part of contracts. If you are interested in being considered for future events, please email us.


Sponsors
Sponsors are the core of how we provide the optimal experience to attendees and those who help fund this incredible event. We are committed to a core ethos of only accepting and highlighting groups that are queer affirming and will not accept any sponsorships from groups that are actively and directly anti-LGBTQ+ in their efforts. As we work to optimize the value of your sponsorship, we offer a number of advertisements, spaces, integration, and more that will ensure the community is aware of your participation. Our timeline for sponsors runs from November through April 15. We cannot accept sponsors after this date as we have requirements for graphics production, advertising deadlines, and product delivery. Once applications are processed, we add sponsors to our site as soon as possible. We remove all of the former year sponsors in February. To learn more or to join the fun, click here. 

Note to attendees: Each year we receive a few emails with concerns relating to a sponsor's national or public positions on issues relating to politics, religion, and other special issues not relating to LGBTQ+ issues. While we consider all requests, we will not restrict any sponsors solely on the basis of these issues by the national brand. In many cases, our sponsors are employee resource groups for LGBTQ+ individuals who use their personal funds or allocated funds to support this effort, groups that actively work to improve and preserve LGBTQ+ rights in their workplaces.

Vendors & Nonprofits
Our vendors bring all the fun! While we work hard to bring in activities for all ages, we simply can't replicate the incredible energy, uniqueness, and the community that come from non-profits, vendors, places of worship, and LGBTQ+ and other community groups! (collectively referred to as vendors) To ensure we strike the right balance and provide appropriate opportunities for smaller groups, student groups, and non-profits by balancing against businesses and merchants. So each year we set quantity limitations on each category. We also cannot vary from the permitted number of vendor spaces due to permit requirements. This is why it is so important to get your applications in as soon as possible, we sell out spaces every year! We open applications in January of each year. If categories are sold out or signups are closed, please email us to be on the waitlist. To learn more or join the fun, click here.

As always, we will not accept any vendor with active anti-LGBTQ+ practices, or that are known to be involved in scams, multi-level marketing, or untoward business practices.