Minneapolis Pride

Twin Cities Pride is the annual LGBTQ celebration held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also called Minneapolis Pride, it welcomes people from all across Minnesota and the Midwest, however some visitors come from other parts of the world to take part in all the fun. While Gay Pride Week officially started in 1973, it only began because of a protest march that occurred the previous year. That march saw 50 people take part and march towards a local mall to bring attention to the riots that occurred in Stonewall three years earlier. It was successful enough that it gave way to a full week of events the following year.

Around 150 people came out for the first celebration in 1973. They played softball and went for a canoe ride on the water. Other events in that first year included a dance and a picnic. In 1974, it became one of the first pride events in the nation to welcome transgender speakers and visitors. Though the pride festivities welcomed both lesbian and gay men during its early years, the women split off and formed a lesbian pride event that ran for several years before the groups united again.

The organizers behind the pride festivities in Minneapolis went through a series of name changes before becoming the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Committee in the early 1980s. Changes to the events led to an increased number of visitors and a wide range of acts that performed live on its stages each year. Twin Cities Pride festivities now include a five-kilometer run that raises money for charities, as well as lively concerts that feature prominent LGBTQ celebrities. All the fun of pride takes place during the middle/end of June, and usually illuminates Loring Park and its surrounding area.

For full details on Minneapolis Pride 2024, be sure to check out the official event program. Happy Pride!