This weekend from June 13-15, The Big Gay Market (TBGM) will host its annual Big Gay Pride Market at the Alliant Energy Center. This will be TBGM’s first three-day event since it first began hosting makers markets in March of 2023.
Even with nine markets of varying sizes under their belts, co-organizer Ashley Shaw Adams shared that she still gets pre-market jitters.
“The longer you do it, the easier it becomes, but the pressure gets worse with every market because the expectations are higher,” she explained. “For many of our vendors, this is their job, which means it is up to us to help them make money so that they can feed their families”
At this point, TBGM’s markets run like a well-oiled machine. With two smaller markets in the spring and fall at the Wisconsin Rugby Complex, and two larger markets during Pride and the winter holidays at Alliant Energy Center, TBGM has a number of tried and true elements that make their markets so enjoyable, like speed dating, queer clothing swaps, and drag shows at the two bigger markets.
But this doesn’t mean that they’re not open to adding new elements. To kick off the weekend’s festivities, Friday evening will feature a ticketed, 18+ night market which will host TBGM’s first-ever comedy show.
The Minneapolis-based improv troupe Black & Funny will perform its show “Black People Win,” whose tagline is “Anybody can play, Black people win.” Black & Funny will be joined by the improv troup Queer & Funny.
The following morning, from 10-11 a.m., Black & Funny will host an anti-racist story time called “Brick by Brick,” followed by a children’s comedy hour from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Mainstays like the drag show, drag bingo, and all comedy shows will all be hosted and DJed by DJ Femme Noir.
“We try out a lot of new things, and we have yet to have something that’s a dud,” Shaw Adams explained. “Ollie and I are both really good at gauging what’s going well and what’s not. We can kind of read the room.”
Even with add-ons at each growing market, TBGM’s organizers emphasized that the purpose of the market will always remain the same.
“Valuing accessibility in the arts and diversity and having fun are the core principles of the market,” Ollie DiPietro said. “We’ve had them since the beginning and will continue to have them forever […] The feeling of when you go to the market stays the same.”
While Shaw Adams and DiPietro have a knack for figuring out what works and what doesn’t, they have their market community to thank for suggestions. After each market, the two organizers send out surveys to their vendors and their attendees.
“Sometimes, if something is really successful and well-received, then we carry it forward to the next market,” Shaw Adams explained.
For example, the nonprofit organization OutReach LGBTQ Center will be hosting its highly-anticipated raffle, which includes donated goods from vendors and sponsors alike. All of the proceeds will go directly to OutReach to support services like their community pantry and harm reduction resource.
When asked about if they are concerned about hosting a large event for LGBTQ+ folks in an increasingly hostile political climate, DiPietro emphasized the importance of cultivating these spaces, especially in these times.
“I think it’s really important to get queer people together, to see everybody in the community,” he said. “It’s very isolating right now to be a queer person, so seeing all your little buddies together and seeing older queer people and younger people is very important, and you don’t get that a lot … [At the market], you can see families and different dynamics of queer people in all stages of the queer life, which I think is very important.”
Additionally, DiPietro notes that he and Shaw Adams have full confidence in their venue partner, the Alliant Energy Center.
“We There’s always risk when you get a lot of queer people together,” he said. “However, I feel very confident in our venue safety. Alliant does a lot for us,” adding that ticketing and paid parking help create access checkpoints for attendees.
Since their start in 2023, TBGM has become something of an institution in the local makers market space. And even with all that’s evolved, the organizers emphasized that the vendors remain at the heart of each event.
“Our number one priority for our vendors is to do well financially. Many of our vendors are disabled, so this is a way for them to be able to work from home.”
Additionally, thanks to TBGM’s premier sponsor, the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, 29 businesses were able to have their vending fees waived for this market.
“It’s important to us that our vendors feel that they are taken care of by us, and that they are vending in a premium event that is still accessible to them.”
The following food options will be available:
- Jakarta Cafe
- Chocolate Shoppe
- Just Coffee
- Alliant Center concessions, including vegan options
To learn more and purchase tickets for the TBGM Pride Market, visit their website at: https://www.thebiggaymarketllc.com
