PrideFest sets presale ticket record, responds by ramping up security
Updated on Friday, May 7 at 5:54 p.m.
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- PrideFest is seeing a record amount of attendance this year with people coming as far as Australia to celebrate pride.
For the first time on Thursday, PrideFest Milwaukee opened their main stage, expanding the festivals footprint adding more vendors to the party.
The festival is slated to have international performers like Icona Pop and David Archlceta, along with well know drag queens.
Organizers said, during all the fun safety has remained top of mind, integrating new security technology.
“The latest technology allowance people to enter the grounds safety scanning, and then without bags checks we are really able to move people along, but not skip any of the essential steps of protecting audiences from a potential threat,” said Wes Shaver, President & CEO of Milwaukee Pride.
PrideFest goes until midnight Friday, and kicks back up again for its final night Saturday starting at noon.
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee's PrideFest has sold a record number of presale tickets this year, according to event organizers. Safety has been a primary concern during the planning of the large event.
Organizers have increased the number of Milwaukee police officers on-site this year and upgraded the metal detectors to the same system used at arenas and ballparks. They say the new system will be more precise and expedite entry for attendees.
"The landscape has changed. Every day you hear about more threats to public spaces, especially towards the LGBT community, so we just wanted to get ahead of that. We wanted to be proactive instead of reactive," said Terrance Raffeet, security director for Milwaukee Pride.
For a list of belongings allowed at the festival, visit Pridefest.com.