Orlando’s colorful celebration of LGBTQ+ culture returns this weekend, inviting visitors to “Feel the Beat” and celebrate joy, culture and community.
Back for its 22nd year, Come Out With Pride gathers more than 200,000 attendees at Lake Eola this Saturday while honoring the 10th anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The free event — which falls a week after National Coming Out Day — features a full slate of festivities, including drag performances, a trans rally, the signature “Most Colorful Parade,” and a fireworks finale.
“This year carries a lot of significance because of the 10th anniversary of Pulse in addition to the current climate that we are in,” said Tatiana Quiroga, executive director of Come Out With Pride Orlando, the nonprofit organization that hosts the festival. “We want to make sure that we’re inclusive and that we remember our 49 angels. We’re going to have a moment of silence on our Diva Stage to recognize them.”
This year, amid a harsh political climate targeting LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color, Come Out With Pride creates a new space called the Culture Club. The space is a party within the larger event, representing “a joyful, unapologetic celebration of Black and brown LGBTQ+ communities and the cultures that continue to shape Central Florida.”
The area will also feature a special ofrenda, which is a decorated home altar typically created during Día de los Muertos.
City of Orlando District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan leads the Come Out With Pride parade down Orange Avenue in 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
“That’s where we’re going to be highlighting and remembering our 49 angels with pictures of them. An ofrenda is a celebration of life,” Quiroga said. “We’re remembering those who passed as a form of celebration and remembering to celebrate our lives.”
Quiroga said that showing up authentically and celebrating can be an act of resistance amid Florida’s anti-DEI and anti-drag laws. The festival will still be hosting drag performers, as Quiroga said: “It’s not Pride without drag.”
The Come Out With Pride parade makes its way down Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando in 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
The festival opens at noon on Saturday with dedicated entrances and metal detectors at three points around Lake Eola. Music begins at the EDM-focused Sonic Bloom Field at 12:30 p.m., and live entertainment kicks off on the Diva Stage at 1 p.m.
This year, Come Out With Pride highlights Orlando and Florida-based drag talent, featuring Ginger Minj, Angelica Sanchez, Darcel Stevens, Sassy Devine, Roxxxy Andrews, Detox, Orusha San Miguel and Myki Meeks, who recently won RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Disney cast members march in the Come Out With Pride parade as it makes its way down Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando in 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
At 1 p.m., the Trans Rally kicks off with the largest gathering of trans people “not only in Central Florida, but probably in all of Florida,” Quiroga said. At 3 p.m., music kicks off within the Culture Club.
The larger-than-life “Most Colorful Parade” starts at 4 p.m. The route starts on Orange Avenue, continues on East Central Boulevard, turns onto North Rosalind Avenue and concludes on East Robinson Street.
This year’s grand marshals are Kelsi Bergmann and Johannah Bowman, social media creators; Cielo Sunsarae, executive director of The Queer Trans Project; comedian Sabrina Ambra and Myki Meeks.
Myki Meeks attends a “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Season 18 event, on May 31 in Pacoima, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for MTV)
All day long, attendees can explore stations around the festival, including a vendor marketplace, a sponsor walk, the Sober Space, a Sensory Space and the Family Spot. Food and drinks are available within the festival footprint.
A full day of events will conclude with a colorful fireworks display over Lake Eola at 9:30 p.m.
The official Come Out With Pride float makes its way down Orange Avenue during the parade in downtown Orlando in 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
All of the Pride festivities can help the LGBTQ+ community gather together and show up authentically.
“The spirit of Pride is us showing up as our authentic selves as a sign of rebellion and resistance,” Quiroga said. “I think it’s very important for folks to show up and really represent in numbers. We want the larger community, state and country to see that Florida still has a very big presence of our LGBTQ+ community and allies.”
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
If you go
Come Out With Pride Orlando is from noon-10 p.m. Oct. 17 at 512 E. Washington St. in Orlando. The event is free to attend; VIP tickets are available. The event has three entrances — on Rosiland Avenue, on East Central Boulevard and on Eola Drive — with metal detectors and security. For more information, visit comeoutwithpride.org.