Organizers behind the annual Athens Pride festival have announced details of this fall's upcoming event.

This year's festival will be held Sept. 6-9. Last year was the first year that Athens celebrated Pride outside of the spring.

Organizers wanted to move the festival to the fall to get students out and mixed into the community at the beginning of the school year.

The festival unofficially kicks off with a pre-Pride happy hour at The Go Bar from 8-10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31.

The first official event of Athens Pride is the GLOBES Fall Reception at the University of Georgia Founders' Gardens from 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6. The event is all-ages and will include a silent auction. An after-party will be held from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. At The Engine Room.

An artist showcase featuring poets, singers and other entertainers will perform upstairs at The Globe Bar from 8-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7. Drag-a-oke, featuring DJ Patrick from Almost Famous with hosts Yasmine Alexander and LaKeisha Pryce, goes down later that night at Farm 255.

Saturday features all-ages bowling at Ten Pins in the Homewood Hills Shopping Center from 4-6 p.m., and a dance party at Little Kings from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Sunday kicks off with a Pride service at Our Hope MCC, followed by a commitment ceremony, also at the church. The annual Pride Picnic follows at Lake Herrick Pavilion at the UGA Intramural Fields from 2-6 p.m.

The weekend closes with a Athens Showgirls Cabaret all-ages show at The Globe Bar from 7-10 p.m.

All events come with a $5 donation request, but no one will be turned away if they couldn't pay, organizers said.

For more information, or updated scheduling, please visit www.athenspride.com.

Top photo: Downtown Athens during last year's Athens Pride weekend (file)