Thursday, October 1, 2026
Freeport welcomed its annual Pride Month celebration two weeks ago, known this year as the Nautical Mile Pride Festival. The celebration featured a variety of activities for those of all ages near and along the Nautical Mile, all encouraging freedom of expression and LGBTQ values.
The festival, on June 20, was the fourth celebration of Pride on the Nautical Mile, previously titled Pride on the Mile. It featured a motorcade down Woodcleft Avenue, led by queer musician Baddie Brook, its grand marshal. Other pride-themed attractions and activities included Sparkle on Stage’s production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on June 19 and 20, children’s events and a family fun zone next to the theater, a music festival and vendor market at Sea Breeze Park, and other special promotions and events at several Nautical Mile businesses.
Even organizer Robyn Workman, the owner of Sparkle on Stage, applauded Freeport’s support for the annual celebrations, and emphasized that they are as important as ever.
“Not just pride, but people of color, people of different ethnicities, religions, are under attack,” Workman said. “I think it’s important to be able to celebrate diversity, pride included.”
Workman acknowledged that not all people— including Freeport residents — may accept or celebrate diversity and LGBTQ lifestyles, but added that she believes that diversity is central to the village’s identity.
“There are people who don’t agree with these things, either, but I was raised here in Freeport,” Workman said. “So I was pretty much raised in a very diverse community. But the whole world doesn’t think that way. So sometimes you just have to say, ‘Well, this is how I think, and there has to be enough room for that in the world.’ And if you don’t agree with that, you don’t have to attend.”
Paul Bua, another festival organizer, expressed his appreciation for the support the organization and local queer people like him have received from the village — specifically Mayor Robert Kennedy, who attended the event.
“I’m a 55-year-old resident of Baldwin, grew up around Freeport and the Nautical Mile,” Bua said. “Pride is very important to me. I came out when I was 18, and it’s nice to see that where I originated from supports a strong community, is inclusive and celebrates our community in this way.”
