These Small Towns Are Packing a Big Punch for Their Pride Celebrations

Pride celebrations are sure to be bigger, bolder, and brighter than ever this year. The call for inclusive gatherings has become increasingly crucial, as legislators across the country continue to ban gender affirming care. So it goes without saying that there’s never been a more important time to get involved, whether your state is red or blue. Yet while iconic queer meccas like San Francisco and New York City will always be heavy-hitters during Pride month, it’s not just the major metropolises that are rolling out the metaphorical rainbow carpet this summer.

All across the country, small towns are proudly waving their rainbow flags for Pride events all their own, hosting joyous parades, community gatherings, and inclusive festivals in places you might not expect. It’s smaller towns like these that prove there’s love and diversity to be found—and celebrated—in every pocket of the country. From a quiet Florida island celebrating its newly established Pride festival to an Alaskan town that’s all about disco and barbecue, here are nine small towns going big for Pride this year.

June 8-11
Seward, Alaska: Come for the puffins, stay for the Pride. One hundred and twenty miles south of Anchorage, the tiny coastal hamlet is mostly known for its wildlife, its glaciers, and as the gateway to nearby Kenai Fjords National Park, but beyond the breathtaking natural beauty, the community celebrates inner beauty at its annual Pride festival. Held from June 8-11, and starting with a free night of drag queen bingo, it’s one of the most surprisingly robust Prides in the nation.

For a town with about 3,000 residents, Seward goes big with unique, inclusive events, including a parade at Wellington Park, a Pride cruise, and a drag show at Yukon Bar, concluding with an all-ages Pride barbecue at noon on June 11, with free eats, games, merchandise (like sweatshirts proclaiming “Protect Trans Kids”), and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community. Alaska isn’t exactly known as a queer destination, which is what makes festivals like this such a heartwarming celebration—and an affirming reminder that #loveislove, even in communities where porpoises outpopulate people. 

June 1 – 30
West Virginia capital city Charleston has long been an LGBTQ-friendly refuge—complete with small town vibes—in an otherwise red state. It’s where Rainbow Pride of West Virginia is headquartered, a community-based organization that provides the state's LGBTQIA+ residents with health resources, education, advocacy, and more. The city celebrates Pride all June-long, and you can choose from a bevy of sporting events that’ll take you out to the field, like Pride Kickball on June 4 at the Shawnee Sports Complex or a Rainbow Run on June 17 that starts at Capitol Market (the 5K race will raise funds to support Rainbow Pride of West Virginia’s Educational Scholarship). But the main event is the Pride Parade on June 3, followed by a festival headlined by acts like RuPaul’s Drag Race all-star Manila Luzon and American Idol finalist David Hernandez.

June 3
Nestled in the western nexus of Kentucky, at the southern tip of Illinois, the riverside town of Paducah is an unassuming—and totally unexpected—place to find a robust Pride festival filled with floats, drag queens and kings, and rainbow flags. The small city, home to quaint art galleries and the only all-lesbian film festival in the country, is the tiniest blue bubble—a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors alike, thanks to its Fairness ordinance, a policy that protects queer community members from discrimination in employment and housing.

Paducah Pride, then, shines bright with live music, performances, and pageants, all day long on June 3. This year’s headliners include Noah Davis, Heidi N Closet, Roxxxy Andrews, and Landon Cider, who will be performing and hosting meet-and-greets. Other performers will hit the downtown stage throughout the day, culminating with the crowning of Miss and Mr. Paducah Pride 2023.  

June 10
Between major out-and-proud cities like Miami and famously queer communities like Wilton Manors, Florida has no shortage of well-trod destinations for Pride. But beyond South Beach, there’s a much smaller and quieter island option hosting a more intimate celebration of its own in June. On Amelia Island, the northernmost barrier island in Florida, the small city of Fernandina Beach is hosting its third annual Pride festival. Northeast Florida tends to be much more conservative than, say, South Florida, which is why a designated Pride festival for the local LGBTQIA+ community—following the first time a Pride flag was flown over city hall in 2018—is an important step toward inclusion and visibility.

Held in Central Park, the festival kicks off with a parade at 10 am on June 10, followed by live music, food trucks, and artisan vendors selling everything from handmade soap to sunglasses. The festival will be followed by drag brunch at Disco Witch Brewing on June 11, hosted by performers like Hecate and Riley Ann.

June 3 – 29
The North Idaho Pride Alliance brings a month’s worth of gatherings to Coeur d'Alene, an area that continues to stand strong in its allyship despite attempted riots from a white nationalist organization last year. Here, the CDA4Pride campaign continues to foster more safe spaces for queer locals, kicking things off with Pride in the Park on June 3, a free community event featuring food and entertainment. Later, the festivities continue with tie-dye parties, pizza fundraisers, and fashion shows. Be sure to stick around for the Inclusive Healthcare Informational Session, sponsored by Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency, which will gather healthcare professionals around the region to share new techniques for better understanding LGBTQIA+ Idahoans and their health needs (date to be announced).

June 15-17
As a pivotal setting in the Civil Rights movement, Montgomery, Alabama, has long held an important, singular place in American history—something the town proudly continues to celebrate and honor. One such celebration is Montgomery Black Pride, held to emphasize diversity and support one of the most marginalized communities in the country (Black transgender and gender-nonconforming people experience the highest levels of discrimination in the country).

The three-day festival is organized by The Knights and Orchids Society Inc, whose mission is to provide health and wellness resources for LGBTQIA+ Black people in Alabama communities. Following its founding in 2012, it became the first AIDS Service Organization in the state, and it’s remained at the forefront of visibility and progress ever since, using Black Pride as both a festival and a means to raise awareness and resources. The festival will feature vendors, drag performances, pageants, speed dating events, silent discos, and other inclusive events.  

June 3
Tennessee’s queer population has had a rough go of it lately. Earlier this year, Governor Bill Lee signed legislation prohibiting any kind of gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 18 and made waves when he approved the country’s first-ever ban on public drag performances. In the town of Franklin, located right outside of Nashville, the planning of the annual Pride festival has been met with opposition from anti-LGBTQIA+ residents. But Mayor Ken Moore has voted that the show must go on, and allies of Franklin are steadfast in their mission. The Franklin Pride festival will take place in Harlinsdale Park on June 3, boasting a lineup of food trucks, vendors, and musical performances by Sisters Mann, Bryan Ruby, and more.

June 9-11
Known mostly for its twee inns, hip galleries, and offbeat Prada stores in the middle of the West Texas desert, there’s much more to Marfa than roadside Instagram moments. The tiny town, with a scant population of around 2,000, has emerged as a cultural oasis known for its food and art, spotlighting indie artists from all walks of life, so it’s only fitting that this hip haven for creatives is now home to a danceable Pride fest all its own.

Held from June 9-11, this year’s Pride turns Marfa into a mecca for queer travelers in an otherwise remote locale in far West Texas. It kicks off with a music-filled welcome mixer at El Cosmico, followed by a dance party at The Sentinel the next night, before it all culminates with a mimosa-splashed pool party at Hotel Saint George on June 11. 

June 24
When it comes to queer culture in Maine, Portland tends to take the spotlight as the most metropolitan pocket in an otherwise remote state. But two hours northeast, the beautiful, tree-filled town of Bangor has blossomed into an inclusive bastion worth the extra mileage. Although the small city has historically been known as a timber hub, as exemplified by the giant Paul Bunyan statue in the middle of town, now it’s a hub for New England Pride. Bangor helps fill a much-needed niche in the Northeast, minus the crowds and traffic. The annual event takes place on June 24 in West Market Square and Norumbega Park, with a drag show and a throwback-themed dance party to kick things off the night before at the Bangor Arts Exchange. 

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