Loud and Proud
Cincinnati Pride
Parade: Downtown Cincinnati
Saturday, June 28, 11 a.m.
Festival: Sawyer Point
Saturday, June 28, 12–8 p.m.
More at Cincinnati Pride.
This weekend, downtown comes alive with color, music, and good vibes as Cincinnati Pride bursts onto the scene!
It’s more than just a celebration — it’s a spirited expression of love, unity, and joyful community.
Celebrate who you are, and make this weekend one big, beautiful celebration of pride and community!
The Pride parade steps off at 11 a.m., beginning at Seventh and Plum streets, travels down Vine Street past Fountain Square, then continues to Freedom Way. The bars and restaurants at The Banks offer front row seats to all the fun. The parade includes local businesses, corporate and arts partners, and community organizations.
After the parade, head to Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove for live music, dancing, food, drinks, and more during the Cincinnati Pride Festival. Explore vendor booths with arts, crafts, and Pride merchandise. The festival is fun for the family, with face painting, balloon art, and storytelling designed to entertain kids and promote inclusivity.
Cincinnati Pride History mural by ArtWorks. Image courtesy of Cincinnati Pride.
CINCINNATI PRIDE HISTORY: 52 YEARS STRONG
It was the spring of 1973 in Cincinnati. The Reds were starting the season that would see them finish first place in the National League West with a 99-63 record; TV's “The Brady Bunch” had filmed their annual vacation episode at the newly opened Kings Island in Mason and a group of GLBT men and women gathered on Fountain Square to march for gay rights awareness. This was all happening as the modern gay rights movement was in its early stages; growing out of the protest momentum in the wake of a raid of The Stonewall, a club in New York City in 1969.
Standing up for what you believe in takes courage. Now consider this was the early 1970s, when Cincinnati, known for its conservative ways, was not exactly on the top of the list of locations to emerge as a leader in bringing the gay rights movement out into the open. So this gathering of some 40 men and women on Fountain Square was the purest form of bravery.
Cincinnati Pride was born, with the first public pride celebration in Greater Cincinnati held April 6–8, 1973.
From that first march and celebration, Cincinnati Pride grew to include a week-long celebration of GLBT diversity. Over the years, Cincinnati Pride has taken on several forms and names as a dedicated group of individuals and local GLBT organizations would take part in shaping its growth. There were tough times along the way and local pride efforts mirrored struggles across the nation for acceptance and equality, facing challenges from HIV, AIDS to “don't ask, don't tell” to marriage equality.
By the late 1980s the Cincinnati's Pride movement had grown. Parades grew longer and crowds grew larger. As the 1990s passed and a new century began, the world saw an explosion of GLBT awareness and acceptance, as more members of the LGBTQ community and allies began to come out and stand up.