Those looking for Friday plans need not look any further. The Family Block Party and Pride Parade returns for the 13th year and promises to be the highlight of Carbondale’s First Friday event on May 3.

The Family Block Party started as a preschool fundraiser put on by Michelle Marlow when her daughter, Payton, was in preschool. Now a junior in high school, Payton is the co-chair of the event and helped to launch the Pride Parade part of the event in 2019.

“(The event) has just continued to grow and has become the largest First Friday celebration in Carbondale,” Marlow said. “It honestly has become a labor of love for me.”

This year’s party will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday on the Fourth Street Plaza in Carbondale, where there will be music and other performances on the youth stage, arts and crafts, carnival games, and other activities.

The annual Pride Parade, organized in conjunction with the Carbondale Middle School Gender Sexualities Alliance (GSA), will gather at 5:15 p.m. on Main Street between Snowmass Drive and Second Street. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m.

The Pride Parade started in 2019 when Payton was in middle school. According to Marlow, Payton was a part of the GSA and the group wanted to do something at the Family Block Party. Marlow loved the idea and that is how the Pride Parade began.

“I am really fortunate that my daughter and I are so close and this is something that no matter where she is, she’s always home for this event,” said Marlow. “I owe it to her and her friends and the Carbondale Middle School GSA for bringing the Pride Parade into the event.”

Admission to the Family Block Party is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10 a person. All proceeds from the event go to organizations that are centered around youth, family, and dogs and cats — because they are part of the family too, Marlow said.

This year’s beneficiaries include Andy Zanca Youth Empowerment Program, Colorado Animal Rescue, FocusedKids, Gender Sexualities Alliance of Carbondale Middle School, LIFT-UP, Rita B. Fund, Smiling Goat Ranch, and Sopris Children’s Fund.

“I want the community to come out and support these great organizations and support the event,” said Marlow. “It’s really cool that we live in a community where we can have a family block party and a pride parade all rolled into one because there aren’t many communities where you can do that.”

The event will feature local food for purchase from Slow Groovin’ BBQ, Sundae and Senor Mango, as well as a Block Party Beer & Spirit Garden featuring local beers by Mountain Heart Brewing and a signature cocktail from Carbondale Beer Works.