North Carolina offers many vibrant options for celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month in June. From the state capital of Raleigh to the Queen City of Charlotte and smaller towns in between, there are Pride festivals and events that welcome the LGBTQ community and its allies to come together in solidarity, activism, and joyful celebration.
In Raleigh, the state’s capital, Pride Month is marked by a series of events throughout June, collectively known as Raleigh Pride. This city-wide celebration highlights the diversity and contributions of Raleigh’s LGBTQ community. Key events include the Apex Pride Festival, a family-friendly festival with live music, food trucks, vendors and kids’ activities, and Out! Raleigh Pride, an annual street festival in downtown Raleigh featuring speakers, performers, vendors and a Kids Zone.
Heading west, the city of Durham puts on Pride: Durham, NC, a weekend of special programs in late September commemorating LGBTQ history, activism and pride. The festivities center around the theme “Give Them Their Flowers” to pay tribute to pioneering LGBTQ ancestors as well as those making a positive impact on the community today. Love is at the forefront as Pride: Durham creates affirming spaces for all LGBTQ identities and families to connect and celebrate.
Charlotte, the state’s largest city, hosts its own Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade in mid-August. This major event, organized by Charlotte Pride, is one of the largest in the Southeast and attracts tens of thousands of attendees. The festival takes over Uptown Charlotte with multiple stages of entertainment, vendor booths, a family zone and more. The Charlotte Pride Parade is the centerpiece, filling the streets with colorful floats, marchers and spectators. Charlotte also hosts specialized Pride events like Charlotte Black Pride, Charlotte Latinx Pride and Charlotte Trans Pride at other times of the year.
These local Pride celebrations, whether large or small, create important visibility for LGBTQ residents in their communities. They provide a welcoming space to be “out” and proud among neighbors and allies.
No matter where you are in North Carolina, there are ample opportunities to celebrate Pride Month in June and throughout the year. While the political climate may not always be affirming, these Pride events demonstrate the strength, resilience and joy of the state’s LGBTQ community. As the pioneering activist Marsha P. Johnson once said, “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us!”. North Carolina’s many Pride celebrations showcase a vibrant LGBTQ community that will continue to organize, connect and advocate until that vision is fully realized. But for now, we celebrate the progress made and the beautiful diversity of LGBTQ North Carolinians. Happy Pride!
Elsewhere in the state, most medium-sized cities and even some smaller towns now host their own Pride festivals or events. A sampling includes:
