Students from Northwestern and other local colleges and universities are looking forward to a day of speakers, seminars and music celebrating gay culture on Saturday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St.

The second annual Chicago Collegiate Pride Fest is open to NU students and will provide a forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students to share their culture, said Patrick Finnessy, director of the Office of LGBT Concerns at the University of Illinois at Chicago. NU and four other local colleges helped plan the event.

“There’s no event that I know of like this in the country,” said Finnessy, who is the main organizer of Pride Fest. “This is an event to generate interest and passion in a movement, knowing students are the LGBT leaders of tomorrow. We intend to open up a discourse on sex and identity and to promote the best of what Chicago is.”

The event will also highlight diversity in the LGBT community, Finnessy said.

Last year’s Pride Fest brought together more than 500 students and was “largely successful,” he said, and he expects even more attendees Saturday. Finnessy thinks the event owes part of its success to a collaborative effort among Chicago-area universities.

Colleges such as NU do not have the funds to establish a comparable event by themselves, said David Graddick, a Communication junior who helped plan the event.

“NU lacks the resources for its LGBT students,” Graddick said. “There are minimal programs here to address our concerns.”

Nine students and Leslie DeMonte, co-chairwoman of NU’s new LGBT support network, helped with publicity and brochure design on planning committees for the Pride Fest during the past nine months, Graddick said.

NU’s participation in the event’s planning was “absolutely invaluable,” said Finnessy.