Uptown Charlotte! 

Parade 8/16/26   1 to 4 PM on Tryon

Festival and Parade Info @   Frequently Asked Questions - Charlotte Pride

Festival, Drag Show, Venders, Parade and More! 

Charlotte Pride Week, which includes a variety of celebratory Pride events all around the city, hosted by local businesses and organizations, runs Friday, Aug. 9 – Friday, Aug. 14.

2026 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade Fact Sheet

Charlotte Pride 

• Charlotte Pride was founded in 2000 and held its first festival in 2001.

• Charlotte Pride held its first parade in 2013; in 2017, the Charlotte Pride Parade became the city’s largest annual parade, by number of entrants and marchers.

• Charlotte Pride now sees more than 200,000 festival weekend attendees, more than 200 contingents in the parade, with thousands of people marching in Charlotte’s largest parade.

• Annual events each year include the festival and parade, an interfaith service, and a variety of other social and community events leading up to the event.

• In addition to the annual Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade, Charlotte Pride presents several other events and activities throughout the year through its programs including the Charlotte Pride Job Fair, Charlotte Pride Interfaith Service & Programs, Reel Out Charlotte: The Queen City’s Annual LGBTQ Film Festival, and the Charlotte Pride Scholarship & Internship Program, Generously Supported by Principal® Foundation, among others.

Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade – Event Details 

• Will take place August 15-16, 2026, on First Ward Park and surrounding streets in Uptown Charlotte

• The Charlotte Pride Parade route will run along Tryon Street in Uptown.

• Event set-up commences on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, closing portions of Brevard, 7th, and 8th Sts.

• Charlotte Pride Week, Aug. 7-14, precedes the Festival and Parade weekend, offering a full week of community events.

Financial Impact of the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade Weekend

• $15.8 million in total economic impact

• $9.46 million in direct visitor spending

• $580,000 in Mecklenburg County taxes

• More than 200,000 visitors over the course of the weekend

• An estimated 30,000 out-of-town visitors

• Over 16,500 booked hotel room nights

Resources/Assets/Additional Information 

Charlotte Pride Online Resources 

• Website: charlottepride.org

• Facebook: facebook.com/cltpride

• Twitter: twitter.com/cltpride

• Instagram: instagram.com/cltpride

Charlotte Pride logos and event photos: 

https://charlottepride.org/mediacenter/

Photo Credits: Please credit the photographer and Charlotte Pride for any photograph used. 

Photographers’ names are included in each file name. Example: Photo by John Doe/Courtesy Charlotte Pride.