Come Out With Pride is celebrating its 20th anniversary of hosting Orlando’s annual LGBTQIA+ Pride parade and festivities all weekend — and trust us, the stage is set for a party bigger than ever before. The Orlando nonprofit has gathered around National Coming Out Day each October for decades, presenting one of the biggest Pride celebrations in Central Florida.
This year’s Pride celebration theme, “Colors of Courage,” is a reflection of the LGBTQIA+ community’s strength and vibrance. But before the parade kicks off, Orlando is invited to dive into plenty of pre-parade celebrations, including variety shows, bowling fundraisers, burlesque, bingo parties and more.
Counting down to Pride
While Come Out With Pride’s single-day celebration takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, the lineup of events kicks off much earlier.
Among the associated events, Oct. 16 brings Colors of Courage: Celebrating the Diversity of the LGBTQ+ Community, featuring live music by the Orlando Gay Chorus and the Central Florida Sounds of Freedom. The concert takes place at the First United Methodist Church of Orlando (142 E. Jackson St.) and begins at 7 p.m.
That same evening, there’s a party for those over 21 in the Dark Room at The Dust (431 E. Central Blvd.) starting at 8 p.m. The Peek-a BOO-lesque is hosted by BlueStar and will feature performances by Bella Marie, Misstiched, Gabriella Juliet and more. Tickets are $23 in advance and $25 at the door.
Thursday, Oct. 17, offers a few events to choose from. There will be a Chappell Roan-themed Pride Bingo and dance party event at the Gnarly Barley at 6:30 p.m. (1407 N. Orange Ave.), followed by a dance parade down the block to the Hammered Lamb to continue the party (1235 N. Orange Ave.).
Watermark hosts a Movies Out Loud screening in Savoy Orlando’s Starlite Room (1913 N. Orange Ave.) at the same time that day. The feature film will be Another Gay Movie, with Sabrina Ambra and drag icon Trixie Deluxxe providing commentary on the comedy.
Start the weekend right with the Pride Kick-Off Party Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Veranda in Thornton Park (111 N. Summerlin Ave.) Celebrating LGBTQ+ liberation, the first part of the night is free and open to everyone above 18.
And the all-new Brown Sugar Factory follow-up event hosted at High Tide rooftop bar (33 W. Church St.) is a sweet afterparty specifically designed for LGBTQ+ women of color.
The big day
From noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, eight days after National Coming Out Day, thousands of people will take part in Orlando’s Come Out With Pride parade and festival to honor the diverse community in Orlando and around the world.
But before that, drag diva April Fresh hosts a Pineapple Brunch at 10 a.m. at Thornton Park diner Jack &Honey’s (808 E. Washington St.), featuring appearances by Mr. Florida, Bobby Iman, and Zeus Arem. Then the Most Colorful Parade takes an update route, stretching from the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Washington Street all the way north of Lake Eola toward Robinson Street. The free event’s 2024 iteration boasts a marketplace with more than 250 vendors, the second annual Trans Pride celebration and three stages featuring dozens of musical performances and entertainment. A fireworks show will end the night in the park with a sparkling and colorful bang. Then the official afterparty, Orlando’s Magical Pride After Party 2024 (hosted by One Magical Weekend and Bear Orlando Bear Pride) takes over the Abbey (100 S. Eola Drive) starting at 8 p.m., with a special performance by Ms. Darcel Stevens. For those looking for more afterparty action on the unofficial tip, head over to the Iron Cow (2438 E. Robinson St.) in the Milk District for Nihilball, an evening of drag and music that includes DJ Pup Rocky, Draggedy Anne and Anesthesia.
On Sunday, soothe the sunburn at the Recovery Party, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hammered Lamb. And don’t miss the 5:30 p.m. screening of Watermark‘s documentary film Greetings From Queertown: Orlando at the Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Ave.).
Proud beginnings
Celebrations of gay and lesbian pride date back to more than three decades ago in the City Beautiful. In 1991, the Orlando Regional Pride group began hosting small parades around the city every October, garnering a gradual increase in support with each passing celebration. Support became so great that a need for a larger space to celebrate sprouted in the mid-2000s.
In October 2005, the first Come Out With Pride parade drew a crowd of about 10,000 attendees. The event was held on the ninth day of the month to align with National Coming Out Day, and has been held on or around that day ever since. Through the years, the spirit of Pride in Central Florida did not change — but attendance levels certainly did. By 2007, Pride events moved to Lake Eola, a shift that brought increased sponsorship opportunities and national attention that lured Pride-goers from around the country to Orlando.
More than 220,000 attendees celebrated Pride in downtown Orlando in 2023, creating one of the largest single-day Pride celebrations in the region. Organizers hope to provide this year’s anticipated crowd size with enough space to party like they mean it.
In 2019, the nonprofit organization submitted a bid to host WorldPride 2026, one year after the nation’s capital city hosts in 2025. The date would commemorate the 10-year marker of the Pulse massacre of June 2016. Though ultimately Amsterdam was selected over Orlando to be the 2026 host, the dream of one day bringing the global stage of Pride to the City Beautiful is not dashed yet.
VIP tickets are available to purchase for an elevated Pride experience.
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This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2024.