![Charlotte drag performer Lolita Chanel faces the crowd at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9ff4a99/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc3%2Fec%2Fd263f9d845f4b11d9a670e5c150e%2Fpride22-crowd.jpg)
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PHOTOS: Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade 2022
For the first time since 2019, the event makes its way to uptown Saturday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 21.
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Charlotte drag performer Lolita Chanel faces the crowd at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Festival-goers clacked fans and cheered performers at the Charlotte Pride mainstage on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Myles Parr drove in from Asheville to attend the Charlotte Pride festival on Saturday. He decked his beard in glitter at a festival booth. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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A festival-goer poses for a photo with the Charlotte chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Festival-goers like John-Michael Riggs, center, dressed in colorful costumes and posed for pictures. Riggs drove from Knoxville, Tennessee to attend Saturday's festival. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Kathryn Brandys caresses a puppy at the Charlotte Pride festival. It was Brandys' first time attending a pride festival. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Drag performer Mania bends head over heels at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Charlotte drag performer Lolita Chanel drew cheers at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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The Rev. Lasasha Johnson strikes a pose on South Tryon Street during the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Terra LeClair, left, holds up her pet ferret, Bubblegum, to Josephine Cipriano. "It's his first pride," LeClair said. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Anna Ewing, left, wins a prize at a booth hosted by Amity Medical Group at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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A performer hoists the El Salvadorian flag on the main stage at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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Drag performers drew crowds to the main stage at the Charlotte Pride festival on Aug. 20. (Nick de la Canal / WFAE)
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