Friends jammed to live music. Families laughed and sat together, eating lunch and chatting. People who knew each other, and some who didn't, spoke openly and freely on a wide variety of topics. New friends were made. And through it all, it was "just people."

Saturday afternoon brought the second running of Westport Pride Fest and like last summer's inaugural festival at the Holy Ghost Club on Sodom Road, a celebration of not just the LGBTQ+ community, but of community in general, was the goal.

“We went in with the basic approach that we wanted to bring the community together," co-founder Keith Dias said following last year's first run. "We wanted people to see that a pride event wasn’t just for LGBTQ+ people. It was for family, it was friends, it was neighbors — it’s just people."

Andrew Pollock, of the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network, one of the festival's sponsors, spent a good part of the day at Saturday's festival and said he liked what he saw. Events like this, he said, are important because they help both young and older LGBTQ+ people come out of their shells and feel more accepted in their communities. Such events are also good for the larger community, breaking down walls and bringing disparate groups together, he said.

“It's a really positive message for folks that are living here that might feel anxious or feel like they don’t belong. This is the community saying, ‘No, you belong,'" Pollock said.

Organizers said they were glad to see many of the same organizations that set up tables last year return Saturday, from artists and musicians to the local bakery,  — Pollock said the support shows the power of community coming together to celebrate and show love toward all.

One of the new groups this year was Amicable Congregational Church in Tiverton, which has been an open and affirming church since 2010.

“We love that it's a family-friendly event for all ages," said Sarah Martin, the church's faith formation coordinator, who last year attended as a private citizen, with her children.

More than a year removed from some of the negativity they encountered when they first broached the idea of a festival, Keith Dias said he and partner Jesse continue to see its positive impact, and have received many letters of thanks for organizing the event. That makes the work worth it, he said.

“We get it from the younguns, but we get it from the older crowd too, older than us even."