FYI Philly | Celebrating Pride

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- This week on FYI Philly, it's a celebration of Pride. We stop by a legendary piano bar, a new vegan spot, visit a new mini-gayborhood and so much more.

For the first time ever, the Philly Pride 365 Festival is moving to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a sign of just how much the annual event has grown.

This year's festivities are Sunday, June 7 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., with more than 140,000 people expected to attend.

Assembly Rooftop Lounge atop the Logan Hotel offers the perfect perch to oversee the action, with a balcony overlooking the Parkway and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The venue is hosting a party from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the festival, with food, drink and entertainment.

Assembly Rooftop Lounge | Facebook | Instagram
1840 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Philly Pride 365 | Facebook | Instagram

LesbiVeggies is Chef/Owner Brennah Lambert's vegan outpost founded in 2021. Formerly in Audubon, New Jersey, there's now a new location in Camden.

The young entrepreneur says it's something different for Camden and that it has been well-received, including regular customers from the original location.

Brennah started cooking as a college student at Rutgers University, working a side-hustle making meals out of her grandmother's kitchen.

The meal-prepping led to the brick-and-mortar, and she is excited about continuing to grow the brand.

LesbiVeggies is BYOB and open Wednesday through Sunday for brunch and dinner, and offers catering as well.

LesbiVeggies | Instagram | Facebook
39 N. 4th Street, Camden, NJ 08102

For more than a century, the Tavern on Camac has been a staple in the gay community. It is believed to be the oldest gay bar in Philadelphia and is still one of the Gayborhood's prime destinations.

The Tavern has seen many makeovers through the years.

It started as a speakeasy during prohibition. It evolved into a restaurant and piano bar. The building added a restaurant on the bottom floor in the 1980s.

Today, it is a three-story space with elevated cuisine at the first-floor eatery, a piano bar featuring live music on the second floor and a third-floor nightclub which runs late night.

The space features a beautifully renovated dining room. A converted tunnel that runs along the front of the building has also been converted into a wine cellar. Many believe that tunnel dates back to the underground railroad.

Tavern on Camac | Facebook | Instagram
243 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5609

Northern Liberties is one of the city's fastest growing neighborhoods and the recent boom has seen more than a dozen LGBTQ+ business owners bringing their entrepreneurial spirit to the community.

Dame's Vintage Emporium has a collection of classic clothes and accessories.

Dame's Vintage Emporium | Facebook | Instagram
804 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Sharif Pendleton opened the gift shop Laser Philly.

Laser Philly | Facebook | Instagram
829 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Trunc has been an outlet for artistans for nearly a decade.

Trunc | Facebook | Instagram
929 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Ray's Reusables added composting to its list of sustainable offerings.

Ray's Reusables | Facebook | Instagram
935 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Wash Day and Menagerie Coffee are two more local businesses that have added to the neighborhood's business portfolio.

Menagerie Coffee | Facebook | Instagram
908 North 3rd Street, Northern Liberties

WashDay | Facebook | Instagram
736 North 2nd Street, First floor, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Many of the business owners credit the welcoming nature of Northern Liberties for the happy coincidence of LGBTQ+ businesses. The owners have found a kinship in having like-minded entrepreneurs in the neighborhood.

They also credit the nature of businesses owners who are allies to the community for making Northern Liberties such a welcoming destination. Kory Aversa moved his PR company to the neighborhood nearly a decade ago and says there is a sense of pride seeing this recent growth.

Aversa PR | Facebook | Instagram
444 Poplar Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Moore Vintage Archive in Queen Village is a boutique that carries vintage fashions of the rare and iconic sort.

Owner and curator Keesean Moore maintains a focus on the past, when he says clothes were made to last. From Hermes and Valentino, to Armani and Yves St. Laurent, the names represent designers and pieces that remain timeless to this day.

Some items have been around for over 100 years, and some have been acquired from museum archives, which is why Moore calls it a 'shoppable design library'.

Moore's presence in this niche part of the fashion industry has been firmly cemented over decades, collecting items that can be purchased not just at the Philadelphia store, but also at his brand new Tribeca showroom in New York City, by appointment only.

Moore Vintage Archive | Facebook | Instagram
725 S. 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Wild Thyme is a one-of-a-kind boutique in Centreville, Delaware, that blends fashion and floral design.

Located along Kennett Pike, the boutique brings together the creative vision of owners Bruce Mowday Jr. and his husband, Robert Prettyman Sr.

It offers a mix of elegant apparel, unique gifts, and fresh floral arrangements. You'll find locally made art, exclusive international brands, and items that tell a story.

But floral design remains at the heart of the business.

Bruce, who trained for years under a master peony gardener, creates custom arrangements. Meanwhile, Robert, drawing on decades of construction experience, helped transform the space into a bright, welcoming destination.

Since opening last September, Wild Thyme has gained strong community support, especially as an LGBTQ-owned business. The couple hopes their journey inspires others to pursue their passions and embrace who they are.

Wild Thyme | Facebook | Instagram
5725 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807

The Poconos Pride Festival is Sunday, June 7, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Stroudsburg, and there's a place called Camp Out in neighboring East Stroudsburg, creating connection for the queer community.

Camp Out opened in 2022 and continues to grow, offering tents, RV sites, cottages, and cabins.

Guests describe it as a welcoming escape where the outside world stays at the gate.

Camp Out & Pride Fest | Pocono Pride Festival
Courthouse Square, Stroudsburg, Pa 18360

Camp Out | Facebook | Instagram
446 Mt Nebo Rd. East Stroudsburg, Pa. 18301

The Declaration's Journey is a new exhibit at the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City.

It describes how movements from abolition to suffrage, civil rights, and gay rights have directly referenced America's founding document in their calls for equality.

The exhibit shows Thomas Jefferson's chair alongside a bench from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Birmingham jail cell, showing how the two men-separated by nearly two centuries-are connected by the Declaration Of Independence.

There are 120 objects, documents and works of art in all, including an original Dunlap copy of the Declaration on display in Philadelphia for the first time since 1776.

There's a poster-sized printing by Mary Katherine Goddard that includes all of the signers names for the first time. It's also the first time a woman's name is listed on the Declaration.

Visitors can also see an early version of the Pride flag, signed by the artist, a fragment from the ceiling of the Stonewall Inn and buttons from protests staged at Independence Hall.

The exhibit shows how more than 100 nations have issued their own Declarations; its language influenced the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights.

The Declaration's Journey is on view at the Museum of the American Revolution now through January 3, 2027.

Museum of the American Revolution: The Declaration's Journey Facebook | Instagram
101 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106