FL Pride 2022: Communities Organize LGBTQ Pride Events In June

FLORIDA — Communities throughout Florida — like many places around the U.S. — are hosting LGBTQ pride events in June.

Some cities in the Sunshine State held their pride festivals during other times of the year — Tampa, Miami Beach and Orlando to name a few — but pride is typically celebrated in the month of June to honor the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. This was considered a tipping point for the gay rights movement in the U.S., according to the Library of Congress.

On the one-year anniversary of the uprising, New York City hosted its first pride march June 28, 1970. Other major cities began celebrating gay pride, and over the decades, even smaller communities began hosting their own events, as well. While the last Sunday of the month is considered Gay Pride Day, festivals, parades and other gatherings are often held throughout June.

Here are some of the cities hosting June LGBTQ pride events in Florida this year:

Captiva Island

The first-ever Captiva Pride Weekend takes place June 3-5 with a series of events and parties at ‘Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa.

Dunedin

The city will embrace its LGBTQ+ community with Dunedin Pride, a week-long celebration June 10-18. Don’t miss the pride flag raising June 7 at noon at city hall. Other events include the Pride Golf Cart Parade is set for June 11 and the Fenway Hotel will host a Gay-Lah June 18. These events are presented by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.

Fernandina Beach Pride Festival

Set for June 11, this year’s event in Fernandina Beach welcomes speakers, music, informational booths, food trucks and activities for the kids. Held at Central Park, attendees are encouraged to picnic and enjoy the celebration.

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Gulfport Pride

The city of Gulfport is so LGBTQ friendly that it gets two pride events — one in the spring and the second in June. The second annual Gulfport Pride organized by SIK Promotions takes place June 4 along 28th Avenue S. This street festival is a fundraiser to benefit the LGBTQ Resource Center at the Gulfport Public Library.

Jacksonville

While River City Pride is celebrated in October, the organization is hosting the 4th annual Jumbo Shrimp Pride Night June 9 to cheer on the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Minor League Baseball team.

Key West

This year’s Key West Pride kicked off June 1 and runs through June 5. There are numerous events scheduled throughout the city with the Pride 2022 Street Fair taking place June 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., along a portion of Duval Street, and the Key West Pride Parade marching from Truman Waterfront Park June 5, 5 p.m.

Kissimmee

PrideFest Kissimmee, celebrating the local LGBTQ community, will be held June 4, noon to 5 p.m., at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

Lakeland

The family-friendly Pride in the Park festival takes place June 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Munn Park Historic District. Attendees will enjoy entertainment, food trucks, vendors and more. This event is just one in a series of events hosted June 11-18 by Polk Pride.

Miami

Wynwood Pride takes place June 10-12 with a weekend full of musical artists and other performers. Among this year’s headliners are Azealia Banks and Marina. This year’s concert benefits Equality Florida.

Orlando

While Orlando pride festivities are usually held in October, Gay Days returns to Walt Disney World this year. During this time, LGBTQ people and their families and allies are encouraged to visit the theme parks and wear red shirts for visibility. A series of events are also organized for guests, as well. Though Gay Days took a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it usually draws more than 150,000 people. This year, it kicked off on Memorial Day and runs through June 6.

Pensacola

PensaPride is a day-long market taking place June 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Cordova Square. This community-based pride festival features drag, art, music, food and advocacy.

Sarasota

In Sarasota, Project Pride SRQ hosts a series of events throughout the month. Some of the big ones are a Taste of Pride, which runs all month long and showcases some of the area’s restaurants. A Grand Carnival featuring drag performances takes place June 4, a car parade will take place June 18 and a pet parade is scheduled for June 18.

St. Petersburg

Considered the largest pride event in Florida, more than 265,000 people attended St. Pete Pride in 2019. The city told Patch that it’s expected that this year’s events will exceed those numbers, with about 310,000 attendees estimated. The organization is hosting events throughout the month, including Todrick Hall and Pussy Riot performing June 24 at Spa Beach on the St. Pete Pier, the June 25 St. Pete Pride Parade and the Pride Street Carnival June 26 in the Grand Central District.

West Palm Beach

This year’s Pride on the Block takes place June 4 and runs from 1 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the 500 block of Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Funds raised through the celebration benefit the nonprofit Transpire Help. The event will feature live music, drag shows, children’s activities, arts and crafts, local vendors and a late-night after party.

Wilton Manors

The Stonewall Pride Parade & Street Festival will take place June 18 with the street fair running from 3 to 11 p.m. and a twilight parade at 7 p.m. The event usually draws about 35,000 spectators and has an economic impact of more than $1 million on the South Florida city.