Blue Ridge Pride 2023 Festival

The Blue Ridge Pride Festival and Welcoming WNC Procession are Back!
It’s time for some Inclusion, Y’all!  That is the theme of this year’s Blue Ridge Pride Festival, taking place at Asheville’s Pack Square Park on Saturday, September 30th. This is Western North Carolina’s largest Pride event, a celebration of the estimated 75,000 LGBTQ+ people who make their home in Western North Carolina. 

Welcoming WNC Procession
The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, many people arrive early to participate in the Welcoming WNC Procession. The procession is not your typical pride parade. It is a half-mile, family-friendly parade of people that is free to anyone who aspires to a vision of a WNC community that is welcoming to all. Companies, churches, organizations, groups, families, and individuals are all free to join. They need only register by September 20. 

A Day of Community Celebration, Education, Advocacy, and Service
The festival assembles what may be the largest, most diverse community of exhibitors and sponsors in Western North Carolina. It features over 100 organizations dedicated to social justice, community service, health care, faith, education, and the LGBTQ community. Another 100 local employers, merchants, artists, food caterers, and service providers join us to serve and support the community. Says Executive Director, Tina Madison White, “We try to create, if only for a day, a tiny city that models the society we hope to become. We want people to experience how wonderful it can be when an entire community shares space and grows together. This is a celebration of both the LGBTQ+ community and all of our incredible allies.” The festival’s two stages will feature some of Western North Carolina’s most talented local artists, Performers include Melissa McKinney, Kayla and the Change, Mar and Mermaladies, Fancy & the Gentlemen, Lo Wolf, Laura Blackley, Miriam Allen, David Zoll, and Kevin Evans. In the late afternoon, the main stage will feature the Rocky Horror Music Show and our famous DRAG showcase.