English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Jessie Murph, The Lady Gaga Tribute, Lily Rose, and Neon Trees to Perform on Pride Day at the Fair, Friday, August 22
As the First Fair in the Nation to Officially Hold Pride, New York State Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Pride Day at the Fair, Includes Resource Fair and the Annual Pride Day Parade
As New Yorkers come together to celebrate Pride this month, The Great New York State Fair is announcing its musical line-up for Pride Day, which will include Jessie Murph, The Lady Gaga Tribute, Lily Rose, and Neon Trees. Keeping with tradition, Pride Day will take place Friday, August 22, the first Friday of The Fair. The musical line-up and details on other Pride Day events this year were announced at a special ceremony and flag raising at The Fairgrounds today.
As part of the ceremony, Kimberly Arnold, Cee Cee Ritt, and Gina Nicoletti from the LGBTQ Syracuse Facebook group were announced as Grand Marshall in the Pride Day Parade, which will step off from the Exposition Center a 6 p.m. on August 22. Pride Day programming, including the annual Pride Day Resource Fair, comedy shows, and more were also announced, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s Central New York Regional Representative presented the Governor’s Pride Month Proclamation.
“New York State leads the way in ensuring equality, accessibility, and inclusivity for all New Yorkers, and at The Great New York State Fair it’s so critically important to us that all feel welcome,” said State Fair Director Julie LaFave. “The Fair is a celebration of New York agriculture, food, and fun and it’s also a celebration of all our communities that, together, make up the great state of New York. There is beauty in diversity, and we work hard, alongside our partners, to shine the spotlight on all New Yorkers. As we highlight our 10th anniversary of Pride Day at the Fair, I can’t think of a better concert lineup and programming to bring together and uplift our LGBTQ+ community.”
Bonnie Strunk, FAIR NY Director, said, “We are proud to once again co-host Pride Day at the Great New York State Fair, and thank all of our partners who help us make it happen. The Fair has long provided a welcoming space to the LGBTQ+ community and we look forward to gathering again this year to continue to celebrate the beauty of diversity with a full day’s worth of special events and music. We hope all will come out on Pride Day to join us.”
In 2015, The Great New York State became the first state fair in the United States to hold an official Pride Celebration. The day was created in collaboration with leading Central New York groups active in advocating for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community. Every year since its inception, Pride Day has continued to generate momentum and enhanced programming.
The musical line-up for Pride Day this year includes:
1 P.M. CHEVY COURT: LILY ROSE
First up, Atlanta, Georgia native Lily Rose will take to Chevy Court at 1 p.m. Lily burst onto the music scene with her viral hit “Villain,” instantly propelling her into the national spotlight almost overnight. She quickly found herself touring with country's hottest stars as she chased down her dreams and married her wife Daira in 2023. Amidst the whirlwind of success, Lily felt a tug to reassess her priorities and find balance between her career aspirations and personal fulfillment. Out of that period of reflection comes the long-awaited EP and Lily's first batch of new music since 2022, “Runnin' Outta Time.” A co-writer on each track, it's Lily at her most personal and honest, bundling her beliefs and contradictions into six new songs that explain who she is, where she came from and where she's heading.
Lily has been on multiple tours with fellow stylistic maverick Sam Hunt and opened shows for country-pop icon Shania Twain. She sang on Diplo's 2023 EDM-country banger “Sad in the Summer” as she introduced herself to a whole new group of fans through performances on NBC's The Voice and ABC's Good Morning America. She's already been nominated for Academy for Country Music’s Best New Female Artist and took home The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s (GLAAD) Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Award in 2022, and now, she emerges with a crisp, edgy new sound and a renewed understanding of what matters most to her.
6 P.M. CHEVY COURT: NEON TREES
At 6 p.m. Neon Trees will rock Chevy Court. The band has amassed one billion streams and recently logged over 40 million views on TikTok, and has garnered acclaim from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today.
Since releasing their debut album, “Habits,” in 2010, Neon Trees have cemented themselves as a dynamic, engaging band who has consistently put in the work for over a decade. They’ve performed at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Life Is Beautiful, and Bottle Rock, and opened for genre-spanning artists like My Chemical Romance, Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, as well as headlined sold-out tours of their own.
The band’s most recent album’s debut single, “Favorite Daze,” acts as a bridge between what Neon Trees has done on past albums and how they’ve since evolved. The track, which started as a poem, was a collaboration between Tyler and Joe Janiak. The song has a frenetic, fast-paced rock vibe with an anthemic chorus.
Over the past few years, Tyler has embraced being completely honest, both with himself and with others. His 2016 solo album, “Excommunication,” allowed Tyler to grapple with growing up in the church and also being gay. In 2017, he and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds started the LOVELOUD Foundation, which aims to bring communities and families together to help create the opportunity for unconditional love towards LGBTQ+ youth. The foundation hosts an annual festival in Salt Lake City, which expanded to D.C. and Austin in 2023.
8 P.M. SUBURBAN PARK: JESSIE MURPH
Following the Pride Parade. Jessie Murph, a 19-year-old powerhouse vocalist and songwriter, will light up Suburban Park at 8 p.m. with hits from her debut album “That Ain't No Man It’s the Devil.” Last summer, Jessie graced the bills of major festivals, including Governor’s Ball, Boston Calling, BottleRock, and more. This year, her ‘In the Sticks, Part II’ North American headline tour, will feature a stop in Central New York at the Great New York State Fair.
Jessie’s collaborations have also heated up the charts. Jessie released the much-anticipated collaboration “Dirty” in August 2024 with multiplatinum chart-topping vocal powerhouse Teddy Swims. She recently joined forces with multiplatinum country outlaw Koe Wetzel on the buzzing smash “High Road,” marking their highest debut yet on the Billboard Hot 100. Jessie’s blockbuster anthem “Wild Ones” with Jelly Roll reached RIAA-Platinum status, and scored Jessie two nominations at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Pop Collaboration for “Wild Ones” and Best PUSH Artist.
9 P.M. CHEVY COURT: THE LADY GAGA TRIBUTE BAND
Finally, The Lady Gaga Tribute will have fairgoers singing along to Lady Gaga favorites when they takeover Chevy Court stage for a special 9 p.m. performance. With over 78 million views on YouTube alone, The Lady Gaga Tribute, also known as LGT, is a multi-award-winning tribute show featuring the iconic hits of Lady Gaga’s career. Most recently E! Television’s season finale winners of “Clash of the Cover Bands,” they are published as “the best of the best tributes.”
Erika Moul, starring as Lady Gaga, is a Michigan-born native multifaceted in performance art production. After high school, she was selected alongside 12 others to study full-time in a specialized Fine Arts program focused on theatre, acting, producing and directing. Performing in multiple shows, sometimes two at a time, she earned several awards and a coveted “Best Leading Actress” award for her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical and received high honors along with her bachelor’s upon graduation at Michigan State University in 2012.
In the early stages of her career, Erika produced shows as “Baby Gaga” in local clubs to raise funds for her fellow students to pursue their arts education, which blossomed into an ongoing program. When Broadway and Las Vegas took notice of her talent in New York City, they offered her careers in multiple directions, and she decided Lady Gaga would be the role of a lifetime.
Now, performing worldwide year-round, she authentically articulates every unique era of Gaga. No matter the genre: Pop, Rock, Country, and even Classical Jazz, her voice is a jaw-dropping match, nailing every note and tone. Each of her band members and dancers are one-of-kind performers. With elaborate costumes, iconic choreography, and sound-alike vocals, The Lady Gaga Tribute has continued their success of bringing nostalgia to life from Gaga’s beginnings and beyond with fierce kindness and the message of being bravely true to yourself.
PRIDE DAY EVENTS:
In addition to a world-class musical entertainment line-up, fairgoers can look forward to a Pride Day flag-raising ceremony shortly after the gates open, followed by a Resource Fair in the Pavilion Area behind Chevy Court. Here, visitors will have a chance to socialize with members of various organizations, learning about different groups in the community. Special programming will be held in the Empire Theater (located in the Art and Homes Center) from 11 am to 5 p.m., culminating with the annual Pride Day Parade, which will step off at 6:00 p.m. from the Exposition Center.
New York State is a national leader in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. The historic Marriage Equality Act of 2011 ended one of society's greatest inequities. In 2015, the state's Human Rights Law expanded to include transgender people and in 2018, Justice Paul G. Feinman became the first openly gay person to be nominated to serve on the state’s highest court. In 2019, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and a law banning conversion therapy were signed into law.
Founded in 1841, The Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture and provides top-quality entertainment. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.
The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about The Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
###