BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The 52nd annual Grease Pole Festival is expected to be the biggest one yet as well as the 3rd annual Black and Latino Pride Festival. Both events aim to bring all kinds of communities together.
You'll be able to feel the music and eat the foods the Puerto Rican culture has to offer while looking up at the 35-foot graded telephone pole.
"Three to five teams climb up the pole and each team is given a certain time limit to go up the pole and win," says Wilmer Olivencia Jr., Board President of the 52nd annual Grease Pole. "Should they win, the grand prize is $2,000. We upped the prize this year."
You’ll be able to catch several teams climbing on top of one another to get that grand prize this Sunday at 5 p.m. at 261 Swan Street.
"We want to thank our sponsors for making this festival for what it is and we’re the oldest ethnic festival in the City of Buffalo and I’m proud to say that," Olivencia says.
But also you’ll be able to experience the Vogue moves the 3rd annual Black and Latino Pride Festival has to offer.
Organizers say this Sunday’s celebration is a perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on the issues their community continues to face.
"And the areas of growth to hone in on as a community," says Alexandre Burgos, a community leader. "Really what this is about is all of us coming together as different leaders in many different parts of the city and creating a new vision for our community."
The festival is happening at Front Park on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The hope is that this celebration of Black, Brown, and the LGBTQ+ community is about strengthening the community.
"It’s the ability to kind of have social determinant to alleviate, which means that some of our friends are able to come and hang out for the weekend," says Tajé Jenkins-Jones. "Because they’re working so it also keeps putting back to the community, really."
