2024-2025 LGBTQ Pride Guide

Pride Journeys is proud to present the 2024 LGBTQ Pride Guide, a comprehensive and ongoing list of events celebrating the LGBTQ community. This list contains not only Pride events, but also fundraisers, circuit parties and other large-scale events targeting LGBTQ individuals. To submit content for consideration, please email joey@pridejourneys.com

Sept. 27 - Oct. 6: Curaçao Pride 2024 - The Dutch Caribbean Island’s 12th annual pride event drawing thousands of visitors is back and bigger than ever this year. With a week full of lively events from a Pride Walk on Oct 3rd, a Queer Brunch, Rainbow Park Concert, and more, this love-filled celebration of diversity, equality, and the LGBTQ community in Curaçao is not to be missed!

September 28-29 Pride: Durham, NC leads Durham's annual celebration of equality on the last weekend in September. Its predecessor, NC Pride, served as the Tar Heel state's annual LGBTQIA festival, taking place each year in Durham. The parade draws thousands of costumed marchers alongside decorated floats and vehicles. Additional activities include festival vendors, speeches, and parties taking place around the Triangle. It's a great opportunity to support an inclusive community. Fun fact, Durham held the first-ever Pride parade in the state. This event has not been posted yet, but the website hyperlinked is from last year’s events.

September 29: Jacksonville's River City Pride parade will take place Sunday, September 29th and the festival will be Saturday, October 5th. Leading up to this is the 5th annual Miss & Mr. River City Pride Pageant! For more information, please visit: https://jaxrcpride.org/jaxrcpride-events 

October 2-6: Bourbon & Belonging - Considered the first LGBTQ+ inclusive Bourbon festival in the country, this Queer Bourbon Week event will take place across Kentucky in 8 different cities and regions including Northern Kentucky, Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Paducah, Bullitt County, and Bardstown.

October 4-5: Knoxville, Tennessee – Knox PrideFest is an open celebration of music, entertainment and speakers focused on promoting equality and inclusion of all people.

October 5: Havre de Grace, Maryland - Meet artists, stroll through vendor booths and partake in fabulous food in a great setting at the base of the Concord Point Lighthouse at the Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Festival. 

October 6: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky - LBC Founder/Owner/Distiller Greg Keeley and Kentucky's Top Cheesemonger, Jess McLendon, are teaming up to bring an elevated, incredible experience to the Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company. On Sunday, 6 October, Greg and Jess will host you for a curated whiskey and cheese pairing experience. Greg will walk you through four exceptional LBC whiskeys, and Jess will expertly match each one with the perfect cheese- and show you how to do the same. Because great whiskey and cheese belong together. This event is part of Kentucky's Bourbon & Belonging Week. Everyone 21+ are welcome. Click here to purchase tickets: https://lawrenceburgbourbon.com/book-a-tasting/#id=an-afternoon-of-whiskey-cheese-bourbon-belonging

October 8-13: Iris Prize Festival, Cardiff, UK - Held every October, the annual Iris Prize Festival is Cardiff’s LGBTQIA+ alternative to Cannes. Visitors can watch LGBTQIA+ short films and features, attend panel discussions, participate in filmmaker Q&A sessions, and join legendary unmissable parties. The Iris Prize LGBTQIA+ Film Festival brings filmmakers from around the world to Cardiff in Wales to showcase queer stories and increase audiences' exposure to them.

October 12: Plan for a weekend celebrating diversity, inclusion and acceptance at PRIDE Visalia, in California's Central Valley. PRIDE Visalia is on October 12, 2024 FROM 11:00 to 4:00 and all are welcome to attend the region's only PRIDE Festival. The Source LGBT+ Center is proud to be a hub of resources, education, and support for our LGBT+ population and the entire community. This day-long event will have food trucks and vendors, exhibits, entertainment, a Kid's Zone, education and outreach. Visalia is a vibrant city surrounded by premier outdoor recreation including two national parks: Sequoia & Kings Canyon. We encourage you to explore this charming and friendly community. Come a little early or stay a few days after your event to enjoy all our area has to offer like nearby Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. 

October 12-13, 2024: Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and a thrilling day on the water during Mega Dam Release Weekend at Pocono Whitewater in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The Francis E. Walter Dam will be releasing more than three times the amount of water than normal, providing one-of-a-kind autumn outdoor adventure on the Lehigh River. All whitewater rafting trips are guided from beginning to end.

October 19: Phoenix, AZ - Returning to Steele Indian Park near downtown Phoenix, the 43rd annual Phoenix Pride Festival will be the grandest to date. The 2024 Phoenix Pride Festival will take place from October 19-20, and will feature over 300 corporations, local business, and organizations in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Seven stages will be host to over 150 live performances over the two-day event, and several food vendors and artists will be offering their local creations to visitors. The annual Phoenix Pride Parade also takes place during the festival, with over 2,000 participants creating vibrant floats and handing out colorful swag to over 15,000 spectators. The 2024 Phoenix Pride Festival is expected to see over 55,000 guests in one of the largest celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community in the country.

October 25-27: Utah Queer Film Festival, formerly called Damn These Heels, is the mountain west’s longest running LGBTQ+ film festival. It started as a handful of screenings during Pride Week in 2003 and at 20+ years, is a festival that offers a weekend of full-length international and independent films, collections of short films, community collaborations, and post-film discussions. Its purpose is to celebrate Utah’s diversity by sharing LGBTQ+ triumphs, struggles, history, and culture through high-quality film and events. In its 20+ year history, the Festival has served over 33,000 attendees from Utah and across the US, including Texas, California, and Virginia.

October 27 - Cottage Grove, WI: The Big Gay SPOOKY Market: Support queer makers, grab a hot drink, trick-or-treat, dress up, and have a fun and festive time! The building is ADA accessible, and the market is held on smooth ground. This market is indoors and outdoors. Masks are REQUIRED to shop indoors and will be provided if you do not bring your own. Trick-or-treating will be offered during the first part of the market while supplies last - vendors participating will have signs at their booths.

2025

February 19-23: Fifteenth Annual Elevation Utah 2025/Park City Gay Ski Week -  Elevation: Utah typically involves skiing and snowboarding during the daytime and parties at night. “Elevation has a special place in my heart, not only because it is the longest-running event I have produced, but because each year I meet amazing people from around the world who share at least one of my passions – skiing/snowboarding and gathering with my LGBTQ community” says Tom Whitman, Founder of Elevation.

March 18-23: Queer Ski Week - Queerski is a grassroots project: a community for those who yearn for a place where we can bring all of ourselves to the table and find companionship in chasing dreams. Is it a ski week? Yes… and. Queerski is being built as our winter reprieve from the noise and immediacy of the digital age. It’s a mountain playground where we can connect, experiment with new experiences, and regroup in the old ways -- sharing labor, telling stories, breaking bread, making art, sliding on planks, and dancing into the night. In gathering, we seek a home where we can bridge the lessons of past and present.

May 23-June 8: Washington, DC - World Pride! The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Pride in Washington, DC and we're celebrating by making it an all-out international experience. Join the momentous celebrations as the nation’s capital is painted with pride, featuring a variety of events to inspire, empower and connect the international LGBTQ+ community and their allies. For more information, visit https://washington.org/visit-dc/guide-world-pride-2025

June 2025: Mountain Pride Day – Deer Valley celebrates Pride Month with a vibrant and inclusive event. Details including dates will be announced in the spring.  

Recurring Weekly: Ann Arbor, Michigan – LGBTQ Nights, North Star Lounge  7 PM | North Star Lounge is an intimate music venue and vegan bar with weekly LGBTQ events every Thursday. Make plans to visit for LGBTQ trivia and queer open mic nights.  

Recurring Weekly: Ann Arbor, Michigan – PRIDE Fridays, Necto Nightclub 9 PM | Every Friday night is PRIDE night at Necto Nightclub in Ann Arbor! Dance all night on the main floor often featuring special guests from RuPaul’s Drag Race and popular local performers. Album release parties happen in the Red Room, and step outside on the patio to chat with friends. Ages 18+