Cincinnati Pride 2025

Cincinnati Pride, one of Ohio's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, returns for its 2025 edition on Saturday, June 28, continuing a proud tradition that began with the city's first Pride event in April 1973. This event draws more than 200,000 attendees from across the Midwest.

Cincinnati Pride Parade

The festivities begin with the Cincinnati Pride Parade at 11:00 AM, following a route that starts at 7th & Plum Streets in downtown Cincinnati, travels down Vine Street past Fountain Square, and concludes at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove along the picturesque Ohio River.

Following the parade, the free Cincinnati Pride Festival runs from noon to 8:00 PM at Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove, offering a comprehensive celebration for all ages and interests. The festival grounds come alive with multiple performance stages featuring live music from local and national artists, drag performances, and more. The riverfront location provides a stunning backdrop.

The Evolution of Cincinnati Pride

The first Pride march in Cincinnati took place on April 7, 1973, when participants walked from Washington Park to Fountain Square, organized by a group called Cincinnati Gay Community. This groundbreaking event established Cincinnati as one of the earlier American cities to host a Pride celebration during the nascent years of the national Pride movement.

Unlike many major cities, Cincinnati's Pride history has been non-continuous, experiencing two significant interruptions that reflect the city's complex relationship with LGBTQ+ acceptance. The first gap occurred immediately after the inaugural 1973 event when the founding organization quickly dissolved, resulting in no Pride celebrations until 1978 when the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition revived the tradition. The second major interruption came between 1996 and 1999, when no formal parades took place—a period that coincided with Cincinnati's passage of the notorious anti-gay Issue 3 (Article 12) in 1993, which prohibited the city from enacting or enforcing non-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation. During this difficult period, smaller Pride events were held, including a modest "Pride Alive" gathering on Fountain Square and festivals at Lunken Playfield in Mt. Washington, but the community lacked the public visibility of a parade.

Pride's renaissance in Cincinnati began in 2000 when Chris Good approached longtime activist Michael Chanak with a simple question: "Why isn't there a parade?" This led to the revival of the parade tradition, initially based in the progressive Northside neighborhood before returning downtown in 2010. Over the years, various organizations have taken responsibility for organizing Cincinnati Pride, including the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition (1978-1993), the Gay and Lesbian Center of Greater Cincinnati (1993-2009), and the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce (2010-2013). In 2013, following the 40th anniversary of the city's first Pride event, Cincinnati Pride incorporated as an independent non-profit organization, achieving tax-exempt status in 2015.

Today's event attracts an estimated 120,000 attendees annually and has expanded beyond the parade and festival to include fundraisers, bike rides, film screenings, fashion shows, art exhibitions, and special events at cultural institutions like the Cincinnati Art Museum.

As Cincinnati's nickname "Queen City" takes on additional meaning during Pride month, the celebration showcases how this Midwestern metropolis has developed a vibrant gay scene despite the more conservative leanings of the surrounding region.