June is Pride month! There are several events and activities going on in Indianapolis to celebrate and recognize the impact the LGBTQ+ community has in our city! We will keep this post updated as more information becomes available. Happy Pride!
History of the Pride Festival:
The Pride Festival in Indianapolis has a relatively short history, starting in 1981 as a dinner where guests wore masks so as not to be recognized. In 2012, however, Circle City IN Pride Fest stretched over 3 blocks, with over 300 vendors, and attracted 80,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and heterosexual people to celebrate, build relationships, and strengthen the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. To read more about the history of Pride, click here.
Here is your full list of Indy Pride events:
Saturday, May 20th: Rainbow 5K Run/Walk
Fowling Warehouse, 1125 E. Brookside Ave., Registration Begins at 7:00 am, Race Starts at 8:30 am
This year marks the 12th anniversary of the Rainbow 5k Run/Walk, and this event is to promote wellness, raise money for the local LGBTQ+ Community, publicly show your Pride with the community! Presented by High Alpha, this year’s new race course will start at the Fowling Warehouse and move through the Brookside Park area. Stick around after the race for some post-race fun at The Fowling Warehouse.
Sunday, May 21st: Hoosier 250
707 Massachusetts Ave, Registration Begins at 10:00 am, Races Begin at 11:00 am
Join us for the 2023 Hoosier 250, presented by Tactive. The Hoosier 250 is a time-honored tradition with a nod to the Indy 500 with Pride style. Teams of two race around our own track on tricycles, just off Mass Ave. The team with the fastest time wins!
Friday, June 2nd: Golf OUTing
Smock Golf Course, 3910 E. County Line Road, 2:00 – 9:00 pm, Registration Begins at 1:00 pm
IYG and Indy Pride are proud to partner for the First Annual IYG Golf OUTing! Located at Smock Golf Course, a golf scramble is followed by an after party you won’t want to miss featuring giveaways, drag queens, entertainers, and the Pride Court! All proceeds will go directly to supporting queer youth and young adults through IYG’s programs, services, and resources.
Saturday, June 3rd: Pet Pride
Riverside Park, 2420 E Riverside Dr, 12:00-3:00 pm – FREE Admission
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.
Sunday, June 4th: Interfaith Celebration
Riverside Park, 2420 E Riverside Dr, 10:00-11:00 am – FREE Admission
For this year’s Interfaith Celebration, Indy Pride will hold a space of support for all LGBTQ+ folks of all faiths to celebrate the journey of their current or former faith tradition.
Sunday, June 4th: Community Picnic & Bat N’ Rouge
Riverside Park, 2420 E Riverside Dr, 11:00 am-3:00 pm – FREE Admission
The Community Picnic & Bat N’ Rouge event commemorates the first recorded, formal gathering of LGBTQ+ people at the Essex Hotel on Monument Circle in 1981. At this year’s event, the community will gather, eat, connect, and celebrate Pride with a picnic and subsequent softball game to raise funds for local HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Monday, June 5th: Deaf Pride
Hi-Fi, 1043 Virginia Avenue, 6:00-10:00 pm – FREE Admission
Deaf Pride, presented by Lilly, is 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, and they encourage the hearing community to come to learn about and experience Deaf culture!
Tuesday, June 6th: Bi and Pan Pride
Tinker House, 1101 E 16th St, 8:00-11:00 pm – FREE Admission
Join the bisexual and pansexual community members as they celebrate one another and build community. There will be a DJ playing music for the entirety of the event. Also, when you need to take a break from the dance floor, you can shop from the local vendors, enjoy food, and grab a cocktail from the cash bar (for guests 21+).
Wednesday, June 7th: Youth Pride Carnival
Indiana Youth Group, 3733 N Meridian St., 1:00-6:00 pm – FREE Admission
According to the event page’s event description, our community’s youth will “celebrate Pride month with their peers in a safe space as they enjoy carnival food, snow cones, face painting, dunk tanks, and more while playing a variety of carnival games.” They will also be pleasantly surprised by a King and Queen drag show!
Wednesday, June 7th: Music Night
Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., 7:00-9:00 pm – FREE ADMISSION
Enjoy an 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!
Thursday, June 8th: Girl Pride presents: Beyond the Binary
The Vogue, 6259 N College Ave., 7:00-11:00 pm – Ticket Info TBD
This year Girl Pride is elevating and celebrating the femme spirit, with a magical lineup of talented artists across the entire femme/gender spectrum. In addition to their own local artists weaving a tapestry consisting of burlesque, aerial burlesque, drag, and spoken word we are elevating this event with a main musical headliner!
Friday, June 9th: Drag Storytime
Central Library, 40 E St Clair St., 11:00 am-12:00 pm – FREE ADMISSION
From the event webpage: “Celebrate the start of Summer Reading and Pride Month with some diverse stories, song, and dance. Reading is never a drag when local queens Pat Yo Weave and Ana Crusis are involved! Come join your friends and family at Central Library to celebrate stories, life, music, and movement. The library is open as we bring the fun in reading fundamentals. ”
Saturday, June 10th: Indy Pride Parade
Mass Ave., 10:00 am-12:00 pm – FREE Admission
Indy’s first Pride Parade featured one float, an antique truck, a few drag queens, some antique cars, and a handful of walking groups. Back then, the parade barely lasted 15 minutes. Since then, it has grown to include well over 140 floats, vehicles, and walking groups, lasting nearly 2 hours! It has become one of the largest parades in Indianapolis and a testament to the hard work of the community to ensure our equality and celebrate Pride! This year’s parade is presented. by the Delta Faucet Company.
Saturday, June 10th: Indy Pride Festival
Military Park, 601 North New York Street, 11:00am-11:00pm
The Pride Festival is back and will be more fun than ever. This is an all-ages event with three stages, a Family Fun Zone, hundreds of fun vendors, great food and drink, and a ton of great company!
Sunday, June 11th: Olympia
Almost Famous, 721 Massachusetts Ave., 12:00-10:00 pm – FREE ADMISSION
This is the second year for the Olympia event, and you won’t want to miss it! You will see performers ranging in all styles of drag, with each hour designated to a genre of drag offered at Almost Famous and featuring iconic names in the local Indy drag scene. You must be 21+ to attend this event.
Friday, June 16th: Drive-In Movie Night
Tibb’s Drive-In, 480 S Tibbs Ave., 8:00-11:30 pm – Tickets are $11 for adults and $6 for kids
This family-friendly evening includes movies and more celebrations as Pride month continues! Tibbs Drive-In will be showing a double feature of new releases. Those titles will be announced soon and a ticket link will be available on the event page prior to the event.
Friday, June 23rd: AAPI Pride Celebration
Tinker House, 1101 E 16th St, 7:00-11:00 pm – FREE ADMISSION
From the event webpage: “To provide a safe space to represent and celebrate the intersectionality of Asian American Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ communities. As our communities face negativity from so many angles, it is not only our mission to bring us together, but a life-giving and loving response to CELEBRATE our joys and wins. Please join us!”
Saturday, June 24th: Latinx Pride – Generacion Orgullo
The Vogue, 6259 N College Ave., 8:00 pm-1:00 am – $10 to $25 (MUST BE 21+)
In its second year, the Latinx LGBTQ+ community will celebrate Latinx Pride with this year’s theme – Generacion Orgullo! The event will create a space for the community to gather in open celebration and will showcase local Latinx drag artists, live DJs, and dancing. Get your tickets HERE.
Sunday, June 25th: Carmel Pride
Carter Green in Carmel, 1 Carter Green, 3:00-9:00 pm
Carmel is celebrating Pride month on June 25th, and it will be a day of performances and fun on the Carter Green. Check out their Facebook page for updates as they plan their celebrations!
Indy Pride, Inc. produces events which educate, honor our history, and celebrate the diversity of the Indianapolis Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community. They exist to unite and serve their members and the LGBTQ+ community of Central Indiana through leadership development, educational programs, and community events which achieve inclusivity, equality, strong community connections, and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.
We hope to see you at Pride this year!
