Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride All Month
Category Downtown Vibe
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York. What started as a protest has become a celebration for LGBTQ+ Hoosiers to gather in spaces where they can be their authentic selves. Check out some of our favorites below, which include many events and activities occurring in our Downtown. For a full list of activities, please visit here.
Pet Pride Saturday
One of the most adorable events on the Pride calendar is Pet Pride, presented by Harrah’s Hoosier Park! Pet parents, local vendors, and the community gather for an afternoon of play and music centered around our loving animals. It is a highlight for many in our community who celebrate their Pride as both LGBTQ+ identified individuals and as pet parents.
Additionally, local animal shelters, pet-centric business owners, and nonprofit organizations come to uplift and engage with our community members. Hundreds gather for this event and share their experiences on social media for the entire community to see.
June 4 | 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. | Riverside Park
Community Picnic and Bat n’ Rouge
In 1982, the first recorded, formal gathering of LGBTQ+ people occurred at the now closed Essex Hotel on Monument Circle. Many attendees wore masks as they entered the dinner due to fears of being outed in the community. The following year, the first Pride Picnic occurred and had over 500 participants. From there, Pride gatherings grew in both size and frequency in Central Indiana, leading us to Indy Pride 2022.
We honor these heroic pioneers who paved the way of acceptance by formally gathering to build a strong and vibrant LGBTQ+ community in Central Indiana. Annually, Pride week celebrates our community in a picnic and softball game to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS service organizations.
The 40th Anniversary of Pride Picnics will occur in 2022. Like many years before, the community will gather, eat, connect, and celebrate Pride. The Community Picnic will take place at Riverside Park on June 5, 2022 followed by the Bat N’ Rouge softball game, hosted by Indy’s Bag Ladies, the oldest HIV/AIDS fundraising group in Indiana.
June 5 | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Riverside Park
Deaf Pride
This is a night where LGBTQ+ Deaf community members come together to be their authentic selves and to also be immersed in Deaf culture together. All community members are welcome to attend. We encourage the hearing community to come to learn about and experience Deaf culture!
June 6 | 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. | Greg's Our Place
Music Night
Enjoy a beautiful summer evening in a family-friendly environment for Indy Pride Music Night presented by High Alpha and Mandolin, featuring the Pride of Indy Bands. Each year, this serves as their Anniversary Concert and they pull out all the stops!
Pack up your lawn chairs and picnic back and join us as The Pride of Indy Bands selects music for an evening of entertainment, food, and drinks in the park. Food trucks will also be available to purchase food and drinks.
June 8 | 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. | Military Park
Girl Pride
Girl Pride is pleased to be back together for another year of making magic during Pride Week. We’ve invited our own local artists to weave a tapestry consisting of music, live art, burlesque, circus, arts, comedy, and spoken word to entertain, inspire, uplift, move you and bring the community together.
We are excited to welcome our lesbian, bi, queer, trans, non-binary, and gender-fluid family and all allies for centering in love.
June 9 | 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. | The Vogue Theatre
Indy Pride Parade
Floats and Bands and Community – Oh My! Join us as we celebrate Pride Month with a fabulous Parade! One of the longest standing traditions of Indy Pride, the Parade has become one of our largest attended events as well. Beginning at the corner of Mass and College Avenues the 140-unit parade flows down Mass Ave and ends at Delaware Street.
This is one of the most fun filled activities of the whole month. You don’t want to miss it!
June 11 | 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Massachusetts Avenue
Indy Pride Festival
With more than 40 entertainment acts, 150 vendors and an estimated attendance of 40,000 people, the Indy Pride Festival is the place to be Saturday, June 11th.
Not only is this a celebration, it is also a homecoming for many folx as we have been apart since 2019. The Indy Pride Festival is the perfect place to come and be your authentic self and celebrate all sexualities and genders.
June 11 | 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. | Military Park
Latinx Pride
Latinx Pride is a community-driven event hosted by Indy Pride. This will be the first Latinx LGBTQ+ Pride event made for the Latinx community by the Latinx community in Indianapolis.
The event will create a space for the community to gather in open celebration and will showcase local Latinx drag artists, and DJs, while giving space to dance the night away.
June 24 | 9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. | The Vogue Theatre
A special thank you to Shelly Snider, the Executive Director at Indy Pride, Inc., for writing this month's guest blog.