Events in Review: Pride 2026!

I don't really love crowds and admittedly, I'm not a huge sportsball fan. So having done not the usual one, but FIVE Pride events for Boston pro sports team this year seems truly wild to me. Despite some fails, what an absolutely fan-fucking-tastic time! I am so, so honored Baldwin and Rose got to be a part of these events. I'm forever grateful that the Boston sports team community trusted me with this opportunity. And that I have a whole team of Pink Shirts willing to help in exchange for hot dogs and hugs.

March 2026: The Boston Celtics! I had no clue what we were getting into but did that really matter? No. I had my trusty team of friends to help with the decorating of the upper bar area. Having never visited that level (or attended a sporting event at TD Garden) (although I did go to a Paul Simon concert in 2018), I was at a loss on what exactly to do. That said, I think it was successfully rainbowfied. Plus, the BOS PRIDE letters from the Red Sox made it to the main level and were decorated beautifully by the best partner any business owner could ask for, DreamOn Event Designs.

April 2026: The Boston Fleet! Another venue I hadn't visited before so a lot of rainbows were purchased and I just kinda...tried things? The BOS PRIDE letters made it out again but this time, there wasn't a wall to push them against so we had to pivot. Carina and her team, once again, were incredible and came up with a completely unique design, which stole the show (my rainbow-tinsel-wrapped stair railings didn't stand a chance). They were also very helpful in fixing around 1,500 of the 3,000 Progress flags I had assembled incorrectly. Because does it matter which stripe is on top? Yes. Yes it does.

On a personal note, the Boston Fleet have made me a fan for life. If you didn't follow women's hockey during the Olympics this year, I encourage you to go back and watch. These humans are so insanely talented and then I got to watch THE AERIN FRANKEL goal tend after rainbowing an arena?! Unreal moment for me. Also, they really lean into the ocean puns. GO FLEET!

May 2026: The Boston Legacy Football Club! They got in touch a tad last-minute but we were able to get everything purchased and shipped in time for their Fan Fest at Gillette Stadium. Again, I had never been to Gillette so was running a bit blind in terms of what decorating entailed. Add to that the fact that it was quite windy and a bit rainy, and what I had planned was not great. Paper products + rain + wind = lame. That said, DreamOn's balloons with the BOS PRIDE letters were still a crowd pleaser and I'm not mad at the flags and random rainbows we were able to add in a few places. Bonus: I got to hear The Femmes play live for the first time and they rock! Pun intended.

June 2026: The Boston Red Sox: Year 3! Being my third year at Fenway, I was really excited for what we planned. Carina and I started talking ideas in November and I felt so very prepared with my big ideas and staffing plan. The day arrived and...everything went wrong. While I definitely had enough people in each area being decorated, I spread myself too thin checking in while also trying to decorate myself. A very cool thing was the rainbow gradient on a staircase leading from the Big Concourse up to the Sam Deck. It truly looked amazing but the amount of work it took two (and then three) members of my team was unreal. There was a lot of sweating and I'm sure a little bit of Halley-cursing (deserved). There was a vision of hanging balloons in the shape of a heart that didn't pan out. And the decision I made to switch from one table fringe to another was the wrong decision. Did any of this impact the client's satisfaction, or decrease the number of photos fans took with BOS PRIDE letters, or diminish the smiles and joy on people's faces? Absolutely not. But notes were taken and we will absolutely be pulling out all the stops for 2027. You've been warned.

August 2026: The Boston Legacy Football Club! More planning time for this one, which was in Pawtucket, RI, but holy heck did you clock the heat wave in New England? I'm not sure it could have been hotter. BOS PRIDE and Carina were there, though, so that made it a little more tolerable. In addition to the letters, Progress flags were hung in front of stands (on the "TV Side") and I somehow ended up creating an "altar" for a halftime, midfield wedding for an amazing couple. I mean, I had a vision and proposed it and people loved it and so I ordered the materials but I got there and was like...what the actual eff was I thinking? I am not a crafty person. Creative? Yes. Able to direct? Also yes. But create a thing myself? No. Thankfully it was not the worst thing and the professional photographers made it look spectacular.

In conclusion, Sports + the queer community + Boston = Awesome Sauce.