Pride is shaping up to be bigger, louder, and prouder than ever — a joyful reflection of how far we’ve come. Across generations, support for the LGBTQ+ community continues to grow, with recent polls showing that two-thirds of Americans are in favor of same-sex marriage.
Among younger adults aged 18–34, that number climbs even higher. In fact, more than one in five Gen Z adults now identify as LGBTQ+, helping redefine what pride, identity, and community look like today. And in 2024, Pope Francis made headlines by approving blessings for same-sex couples — a meaningful shift that reflects a broader cultural momentum.
Pride is shaping up to be bigger, louder, and prouder than ever. (Photo Credit: Cody Chan)
Pride how you Pride at Kimpton.
So whether you’re marching, dancing, cheering from the sidelines, or simply showing up as your truest self, there’s never been a better time to celebrate.
Underrated US Pride Destinations
Despite being one of the reddest states in the nation, Oklahoma is showing its Pride. My adopted home city of Oklahoma City has three different Pride festivals alone, including the downtown PrideFest, which broke records in 2023 with over 25,000 attendees, along with Pride on 39th Street in the local gayborhood, and Pride on the Plaza in the artsy Plaza District.
One of the more underrated Pride festivals in Florida, Pensacola Pride, kicks off Pride Month with a beach-going party over Memorial Day Weekend. More of a casual party, and drawing over 200,000 people (making it one of the largest events in the city), Pride capitalizes on Pensacola’s famous sugary-white beaches. Attendees come from near and far, clad in their sexiest swimwear, to party on the beach as rainbow kites soar overhead.
Welcome to Oklahoma City’s 39th Street District. (Photo Credit: Visit OKC)
OKC is always ready for a celebration. (Photo Credit: Visit OKC)
PrideFest is a record-breaking festival in Oklahoma City. (Photo Credit: Visit OKC)
While cities like LA and San Francisco are world-renowned for their Pride festivities, California’s capital of Sacramento is not to be overlooked. Sacramento Pride is planned for June 13-15, including a Pride March to the State Capitol, and a festival on Capitol Mall. Lavender Heights, meanwhile, is Sacramento’s gayborhood, teeming with evergreen attractions like Mercantile Saloon and Faces nightclub.
In Iowa, Des Moines’ Capital City Pride runs from June 6-8, while Cedar Valley Pridefest takes place in downtown Waterloo August 22-23. Further west, Bozeman Pride casts a rainbow over Montana May 31, Salt Lake City’s Utah Pride runs June 7-8, and Northern Nevada Pride is in Reno on September 6. Tucson holds its own Pride in the Desert from October 3-5, featuring a parade, music-filled festival, and food trucks.
Rainbow flags fly high over Tucson. (Photo Credit: Gina Canavan)
Pride festivals and non-profits continue to emerge in small towns across the country, including Lost River Pride in Lost City, West Virginia; Oxford Pride in Mississippi; Aberdeen Area Pride in Northeastern North Dakota; Southern Indiana Pride in Jeffersonville; Teton Valley Pride Alliance Pride Fest at Idaho’s Grand Targhee Resort; and South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Pride is held annually in June. Even way up in Alaska, Skagway Pride is June 7.
Among the most heartwarming newer Prides in the nation, Laramie PrideFest marks a momentous turnaround for a city infamous for the murder of Matthew Shepard. Today, Laramie is the most LGBTQ-friendly city in Wyoming, with a 92 score (out of 100) from the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. Held in June since 2017, PrideFest events offer something for everyone, from Pride yoga to movie nights, karaoke, drag shows, bar crawls, and candlelight vigils for Matthew Shepard.
Other US Pride Events
Beyond sanctioned Pride festivals, and indicative of the vastness of the LGBTQ+ community, other events have begun popping up with increased regularity across the country.
Start the year off right with Aspen Gay Ski Week. (Photo Credit: Jake Wheeler)
Plan your year around this momentous event. (Photo Credit: Jake Wheeler)
These include Aspen Gay Ski Week, Gay Wine Weekend (July 18-20) in Sonoma, and Pride at the Dragon, a gay car rally in North Carolina held in the spring. Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of adrenaline-pumping excitement in the West Virginia woods at Homoclimbtastic, an annual LGBTQ+ rock climbing event next scheduled for July 16-20.
Beer-wise, Love Conquers Ale is an annual series of Pride events, at taprooms and breweries in Boston and Cincinnati, by Sam Adams. In the tiny Arkansas Ozarks town of Eureka Springs, where one third of the population identities as LGBTQ+, Diversity Weekends function as mini Pride festivals, held throughout the year.
In California, the annual Trans March takes place June 27 in San Francisco, while Transmission is an annual California retreat — featuring workshops, outdoor activities, and community circles — for trans men and non-binary adults.
Bourbon & Belonging in Kentucky is proof that even the most traditional spaces can have a fabulous twist. (Photo Credit: Matt Kirouac)
And in Kentucky, 2024 marked the inaugural Bourbon & Belonging, with events, tastings, tours, and parties in several cities across the state. The event casts a spotlight on an industry often seen as heteronormative and masculine, showing the growing diversity within, as well as the pockets of proud joy — from Louisville and Lexington to Covington and Paducah — in a largely conservative state.
EuroPride Heads to Lisbon
Essentially the Pride version of Eurovision, EuroPride is a pan-European Pride celebration held in a different city each year. The host city is always one with an established and welcoming community, along with local politics that foster progress and acceptance. In recent years, cities included Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2024, Valletta, Malta, in 2023, and Belgrade, Serbia, in 2022. Now it’s Lisbon’s turn to shine.
Lisbon lights up for EuroPride — from drag shows to film screenings, the city is bursting with proud joy. (Photo Credit: Hugo Sousa)
Held June 14-22, with the parade on June 21, the city-wide spectacle will include the Lisbon Gay Village, multiple concerts and drag shows, art exhibitions, and LGBTQ+ film screenings, among other events.
Elsewhere in Europe, other big Pride festivals include Vienna Pride May 31-June 15, Brussels Pride May 16-18, Copenhagen Pride August 9-17, Helsinki Pride June 23-29, Paris Pride June 26-29, Budapest Pride June 28, Rome Pride June 1-14, Milan Pride June 25-29, and Amsterdam Pride July 26-August 3.
Christopher Street Day
In honor of the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Christopher Street Day is an annual Pride celebration held in other European cities, such as Cologne, Hamburg, and Munich. Routinely one of the larger Pride festivals in Europe, with half a million attendees in recent years, Berlin is the epicenter of Christopher Street Day (CSD).
Berlin is the epicenter of the European Pride movement. (Photo Credit: Pavel Nekoranec)
The Christopher Street Day parade in Berlin winds past Nollendorfplatz, where LGBTQ+ history runs deep. (Photo Credit: @raphaelrenterraphi_rawr)
A momentous parade winds its way through the city, from Spittelmarkt and passed Nollendorfplatz, the latter of which has a storied history as a LGBTQ+ district. Beyond the parade, attendees can look for various musical performances, screenings, panels, and more. Other Christopher Street Day festivals are scheduled for June 31-July 6 in Cologne, July 31-August 3 in Hamburg, and June 14-29 in Munich.
The most beautiful part of all this is that these events, across the globe, are just the tip of the iceberg. In cities and towns large and small, LGBTQ+ communities and their allies are showing up larger, louder, and prouder than ever.
