Pride Month celebrations planned for Triangle towns this June. Here’s where.
Pride Month began on June 1, marking over 50 years since the first parades celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Those parades came a year after the Stonewall Riots in New York in June 1969 when people fought back against police raids of lesbian and gay clubs. June was officially designated for celebrations in 1999 when President Bill Clinton declared Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 2011, President Barack Obama expanded that to include the entire LGBTQ+ community.
In the Triangle, the biggest Pride Month celebrations are in Raleigh, which will celebrate June 22, and in Durham, which will hold its celebration Sept 28-29.
But in recent years, LGBTQ+ groups and their supporters have organized parades, proclamations, and worked with governments in the area’s smaller towns to host events.
This June, some smaller Triangle towns will be celebrating Pride for the second or third year in a row, while others will just be getting started.
June 7: Pride Celebration in Morrisville
▪ Music in the Park, Health Food Hub, 280 Town Hall Drive, 6 to 8:30 p.m., morrisvillenc.gov
The town’s Music in the Park series will celebrate Pride with local band Sayer McShane, drag bingo led by Miz Marsha Mellows and food trucks.
June 8: Apex Pride Festival
▪ Town Hall Campus, 73 Hunter St., Downtown Apex, 11 to 5 p.m., apexnc.org/1605/pride-festival
This is a community event held by the Apex Pride Committee and the Knowledge Exchange Research Group. There will be food trucks, music, local vendors, kid’s inflatables and games. Town Hall parking will be closed from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
June 8: Carrboro Orgullo Pride Celebration
▪ Carrboro Town Commons, 301 West Main Street, 5 to 9 p.m., elcentronc.org/orgullo-latinx
Celebrate Pride with the Latinx LGBTQ+ community with local food trucks, drag shows, music and crafts. Carrboro and organizers from El Centro Hispano, based in Durham, Wake, and Orange counties, are co-hosting the event.
June 15: Fuquay-Varina Pride celebration
▪ Downtown Fuquay-Varina, beginning at 8 a.m., fv-pride.org
- 8 a.m.: Workout of the Day — Stonewall at Crossfit Shoofly, free entry
- 10 a.m.: Fuquay-Varina Pride Strut from the Council Gym in Falcon Park to Town Hall, all ages, 0.5 miles
- 11 a.m. to noon: Fuquay-Varina Farmers Market
- Noon to 4 p.m.: Fuquay-Varina Pride Celebration at Mason Jar Lager Co., 341 Broad St. Suite 151, all ages
- 3 to 6 p.m.: Crazy Glaze Pride Paint Day, tickets required, crazyglaze.net
- 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Teen Social at Stick Boy Bread Company, 127 S. Main St., ages 13 to 17
- 7 to 10 p.m.: Crazy Glaze Pride Night Paint, tickets required, crazyglaze.net
- 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.: Pride After Dark — Karaoke at the Brickhouse Bar & Grill, 213 Fayetteville St., ages 21 and up
June 22: Out! Raleigh Pride Festival
▪ Downtown Raleigh, Fayetteville Street, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., outraleighpride.org
The free annual event held by the LGBT Center of Raleigh features 100 vendors, music on two stages, speakers, artists, entertainment, food, a kid’s zone, a beer garden, and more.
June 28: Pride Piper Walk & Pride Dance Party in Carrboro
▪ Carrboro Century Center, 100 North Greensboro Street, 4:30 p.m., carrboronc.gov/2706/Pride-Month
Join local officials to help roll Rainbow Ram down Weaver Street from the Century Center to Town Commons for the Carrboro Pride Dance Party.
▪ Pride Dance Party, Carrboro Town Commons, 301 West Main Street, 5 to 8 p.m., carrboronc.gov/2706/Pride-Month
The dance party will feature food, love drag show performances and music by WXYC Radio DJs on the lawn of Town Commons. There will also be tables with resources, support and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
Pride Month in Cary
▪ Allies & Icons Pride Film Festival, The Cary Theater, beginning May 30. thecarytheater.com.
▪ June 4-7: Art Exhibition: Pride Through the Decades, Cary Arts Center. Photographs, films and writings from the New York Library and the Library of Congress will be on display.
▪ June 20-30: Downtown Pride Light Show. Lights are displayed at the Cary Arts Center, Downtown Cary Park, and the marquee of the Cary Theater.
▪ June 18: The History of PFLAG in Cary - The Sally Zumbach Story, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, 7 p.m., free. The event tells the story of a Cary resident who led the Triangle chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in the 1980s and ‘90s.
▪ June 22: Pride Cary Night Market, Downtown Cary Park, 5 to 10 p.m. Join Triangle area LGBTQ+ artisans and allies for locally sourced food, drinks, and music.
▪ June 23: #ForTheLove Pride Celebration with the North Carolina Courage, WakeMed Soccer Park, 6 p.m. Wear your best rainbow outfit as the team plays the Chicago Red Stars.
▪ June 30: Family Pride Ride, Trek Bicycle of Cary, 10 a.m. Come early to adorn yourself and your bike in Pride decorations. Registration required.
▪ June 30: Pride in the Park, Downtown Cary Park, noon to 4 p.m. An all-inclusive picnic with lawn games, arts and crafts, and more.
For more information about each event, visit carync.gov/recreation-enjoyment.
Fall Pride celebrations
Durham: Sept. 28-29
Details to be released at lgbtcenterofdurham.org.
Holly Springs: Sept. 7
The Pride of Holly Springs Committee is planning a Pride celebration that includes a parade, according to Jack Turnwald, a member of the committee. Details to come,
Wake Forest: Oct. 5
▪ Downtown Wake Forest, East Owen Avenue and Brooks Street, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, wakeforestpride.org
Wake Forest will be celebrating Pride for the first time this year. Wake Forest Pride is hosting the event, with live music, food trucks, kid’s activities, and local vendors.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 3:33 PM.