MINNEAPOLIS — After canceling the annual festival in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and scaling the event back in 2021, the Twin Cities Pride Festival returns this year to celebrate 50 years of the LGBTQ+ community in Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond.
Venues and organizations across the metro are holding Pride Month events throughout June, culminating in the two-day Twin Cities Pride Festival in Loring Park.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the events on June 25 and 26:
- When: June 25-26, 10 a.m. - 6p.m.
- Where: Loring Park in Minneapolis
- What: This year's free festival features more than 350 local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ vendors, food courts, music stages and a beer garden
Free Metro Transit rides to the Pride festival on Saturday and Sunday can be downloaded here.
There are also several parking options within walking distance of Loring Park, including the MCTC Ramp, Dunwoody College lot and Loring Parking Ramp.
- When: Sunday, June 26 at 11 a.m.
- Where: The parade begins at 7th & Hennepin Avenue and proceeds down Hennepin to Spruce then into Loring Park
- What: More than 100 groups and organizations will march along this year's parade route, including KARE 11. Grand Marshals for the 50th Anniversary Pride March represent the past, present and future of the LGBTQIA+ community: Jean Tetter, who participated in the first Twin Cities Pride March in 1972 (past), Nic Zapko, activist and ASL interpreter for Gov. Tim Walz (present), and youth activist Hildie Edwards (future)
- When: Saturday, June 25, doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.
- Where: The Armory
- What: Concert featuring Carly Rae Jepsen, Rebecca Black and DJ Queen Duin
For anyone looking to learn more about Pride and the local LGBTQ+ experience, Twin Cities Pride has created three interactive maps of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Loring Park, each marked with significant landmarks and events in Pride history.
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