June is Pride month and this year, we are back to in-person celebrations! 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, everyone!
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, June 4th: 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.
Saturday, June 4th: #Transglam
Healer, 3631 E Raymond St., 1:00-4:00 pm – FREE Admission
Indy Pride #Transglam is a free afternoon of music, dancing, friendship, and fun. Dance the afternoon away or just chill and socialize. Choose what your #transglam looks like and enjoy yourself!
Sunday, June 5th: 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 5th: Community Picnic & Bat N’ Rouge
Riverside Park, 2420 E Riverside Dr, 12:00-3:00 pm – FREE Admission
This year is the 40th Anniversary of Pride Picnics, commemorating the first recorded, formal gathering of LGBTQ+ people at the Essex Hotel on Monument Circle in 1982. 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 6th: Deaf Pride
Gregs Indy, 231 E 16th St, 6:00-10:00 pm – FREE Admission
Deaf Pride 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 7th: Bi and Pan Pride
Tinker House, 1101 E 16th St, 7:00-10:00 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.
Wednesday, June 8th: Youth Pride Carnival
Indiana Youth Group, 3733 N Meridian St., 1:00-6:00 pm – FREE Admission
According to the event page’s event descript, 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!
Thursday, June 9th: Girl Pride
The Vogue, 6259 N College Ave., 7:00-10:00 pm – $20 to $35 for tickets
During the Girl Pride event, you get to enjoy music, live art, burlesque, circus, arts, comedy, and spoken word to entertain, inspire, uplift, move you and bring the community together. The full entertainment lineup will be announced soon, and you can get your tickets here.
Friday, June 10th: Shabbat with Pride
Virtual Event, 5:00-5:45 pm – FREE Registration
To celebrate and embrace our Jewish community at Indy Pride, the Greater Indianapolis Jewish community and Indy Pride have partnered together to host a virtual Shabbat service. All people from all religious backgrounds are welcome to come celebrate with the Jewish and LGBTQ+ community! You can register here.
Saturday, June 11th: Indy Pride Parade presented by Delta Faucet Company
Mass Ave., 10:00 am-12:00 pm – FREE Admission
The parade is back!! After taking two years off due to the pandemic, Indy Pride hopes 2022 will be a welcome return to the celebrations which highlight and uplift Indy’s LGBTQ+ community.
Saturday, June 11th: Indy Pride Festival 2022 Presented by Salesforce
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!
Saturday, June 11th: Olympia
Almost Famous, 721 Massachusetts Ave., 12:00-8:00 pm – FREE ADMISSION
The Olympia event is new this year, 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 17th: 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.
Saturday, June 18th: To Freedom | The Ball
Location and time TBD – 21+ Ticketed Event
This is Pride’s first Juneteenth event, hosted by the Indiana Pride of Color. This event is “designed explicitly for LGBTQ+ Black/African Americans (and their allies) to affirm, celebrate, and reconcile their queer and black identities.” Please stay tuned to their event page for location and time information as well as a ticket link.
Sunday, June 19th: Le Brunch en Rouge | A Juneteenth Celebration
The Balmoral House, 10101 Hamilton Hills Ln #100 – 21+ Ticketed Event
Le Brunch en Rouge (The Brunch in Red) will include a menu curated by Black chefs and sourced from local Black farmers and honors the legacy of the Black drag queens of the Avenue. This event, held at the Balmoral House in Fishers, will have “self-care suites” throughout the area as well as a live DJ. Guests are encouraged to “dress to impress (and express) in red.” Ticket information will be available soon on their event page.
Friday, June 24th: 2022 Orgullo Latinx
The Vogue, 6259 N College Ave., 8:00 pm-1:00 am – FREE Admission (MUST BE 21+)
Another new event for Pride this year is celebrating the Latinx LGBTQ+ community. 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.
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!
