Newark Pride Festival Will Celebrate LGBTQ Community In July: 2025 Events

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch Newark community member. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Newark Pride, Inc. proudly announces the 20th Annual Newark Pride Festival, a weeklong celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture, resistance, and community taking place July 7–13, 2025 across the City of Newark. This year’s powerful theme, “Reclaiming OUR Time: Legacy of Resistance,” honors two decades of collective resilience and joy, while centering the legacy of those whose lives and activism have fueled our ongoing fight for liberation.

“Here in Newark, we are proud of our efforts to support the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ residents, which has included the creation of the commission to support their needs, and annual LGBTQ Pride events. We are committed to equality for all in our society, and are determined to be leaders in this civil rights struggle. Working together across state and city lines, we will transform America into a truly stronger nation” - Mayor Ras J. Baraka

The festival launches on Monday, July 7 with a Progressive Pride Flag Raising at Newark City Hall, followed by a community reception at Chateau of Spain. The week’s programming includes a wide range of events—from the Sakia Gunn Day of Service on Tuesday, to mixers, pageants, screenings, and nightlife across the city. Friday spotlights the return of the Brick City Comedy Revue and the highly anticipated 4th Annual Legacy Ball at NJPAC. Saturday brings the chic Pride En Blanc Brunch Soiree, a community bar crawl, and the vibrant Pride Pajama Jam. The celebration reaches its peak on Sunday, July 13 with the 20th Annual Newark Pride Parade, followed by the Newark Pride Festival in the Park at Mulberry Commons, headlined by national artist Dawn Richard and regional star TheARTi$T, and hosted by Milan Garcon and Gotti Fox.

Newark Pride was born in the aftermath of tragedy—the 2003 murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old Black lesbian killed in a hate crime just blocks from Newark City Hall. Her death shook the city and ignited a movement demanding justice, visibility, and protection for LGBTQ+ youth of color. For twenty years, Newark Pride has carried forward that spirit of resistance—transforming grief into action, and silence into visibility.

This year’s celebration is made possible by the generous support of corporate sponsors and community partners: Festivals United, Skittles, NYC Pride (Heritage of Pride), Prudential Foundation, Gilead, ViiV Healthcare, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, University Hospital, and The City of Newark.

Newark Pride invites all residents, allies, and advocates to join in commemorating this historic milestone. Together, we reclaim our time and uplift a legacy that continues to inspire change across generations.

For more information, volunteer opportunities, and the full schedule of events, visit www.newarkpride.org and follow @NewarkPrideInc on all platforms.

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