Rhode Island’s Annual PrideFest Celebration & Illuminated Night Parade will take place Saturday, June 15, 2024, at District Park in Downtown Providence with this year’s theme being “THRIVE.”
Rhode Island’s first Pride was held in 1976 with fewer than 100 participants, and this year’s PrideFest will attract more than 50,000 people during the day and 70,000 people for the Illuminated Night Parade. The event is also New England’s largest LGBTQIA+ marketplace & business expo with over 200 vendors, exhibitors, and non-profit organizations represented. The vendor exhibition is a kaleidoscope of LGBTQ+ and ally-owned businesses, local artisans, and community organizations, offering a unique shopping experience that celebrates individuality and inclusivity. From colorful merchandise to one-of-a-kind crafts, the vendor exhibition is a lively marketplace where you can discover and support a myriad of talents.
As the sun sets at 8 P.M., the streets come alive at the Illuminated Night Parade with a dazzling display of vibrant colors, electrifying floats, and the spirited energy of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Glowing with pride, the parade illuminates the night with a captivating procession of diversity, love, and acceptance. The parade is viewable from multiple locations through Dorrance St., Washington St., Empire St., and Weybosset St.
While in town, stay at the Graduate Providence or The Beatrice, both conveniently located in Downtown Providence, the heart of the city and the exciting Pride celebrations. Stop at The George on Washington Street, a LGBTQ-owned restaurant for great American classic bites and even better drinks at its piano bar and downstairs speakeasy. Another restaurant popular among the LGBTQ crowd is Res American Bistro, also LGBTQ-owned, which serves elevated traditional menu items such as fresh pastas as well as Rhode Island staple, calamari. Spend a night out at Ego, Providence’s biggest night club which hosts plenty of drag entertainment, or at Mirabar, Providence’s oldest gay bar and the countries third oldest.
