Amid political backlash, a Winter Pride event in Florida emerges as a bold, off-season celebration of queer resilience and community
The party doesn\u2019t have to stop when the last Pride float rolls away in late summer. From Florida\u2019s winter paradise to New York\u2019s frozen lakes, queer communities are claiming new territory on the calendar, creating Winter Pride celebrations that feel both rebellious and inevitable in the current political era.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, St. Petersburg\u2018s inaugural Winter Pride flipped the script on Florida\u2019s increasingly hostile political climate, delivering a full week of unapologetic queer joy in February \u2014 smack in the middle of snowbird season. More than 57,000 attendees showed up for everything from trans-led dance parties to street parades and a literal drag race, all while reclaiming space in a state where rainbow crosswalks have literally been erased. I attended many of the St. Pete Winter Pride events in February and can personally attest that it wasn\u2019t just a celebration; in this current political era of queer erasure, it felt like a defiant, love-filled act of protest just by its mere existence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In March, that same energy drifted north \u2014 on skis. Adirondack Winter Pride Weekend<\/a>, a brand-new three-day celebration in Lake Placid, New York, spanned the iconic Olympic venues and charming alpine village. It brought LGBTQ+ travelers and allies together for a weekend of winter sports, dancing, community \u2014 and, yes, apr\u00e8s-ski vibes. Organizers invited the LGBTQ+ and ally community to what promised to be a \u201cspectacular\u201d time in the winter sports destination, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, since 2018, OUT Central Oregon<\/a>\u00a0has hosted Winter PrideFest to celebrate inclusivity and the outdoors, offering a full weekend of fun and activities that take advantage of the winter weather. It has grown from 150 participants in 2018 to over 2,400 in 2025.<\/p>\n In 2026, Winter Pride is returning to St. Pete, from Feb. 15-22 \u2014 events, including the opening five-block street festival featuring trans author and activist Dylan Mulvaney<\/a>\u00a0and the elegant Pelican Ball with emcee Nina West<\/a>, have already been announced.<\/p>\n For Rob Hall, executive director of St. Pete\u2019s Winter Pride, the experience of putting on St. Pete\u2019s first Pride event outside of the traditional summertime celebration was nothing short of transformative.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been more tired or more filled with joy by the end of something in my entire life,\u201d Hall says, speaking recently from the zazoo\u2019d<\/a> store in downtown St. Pete, where much of Winter Pride\u2019s planning happens. \u201cIt was such a unique experience, and to have the turnout and support we did, not just from the LGBTQ+ community but from the city of St. Petersburg, set a really strong foundation for what\u2019s to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Hall\u2019s journey to this role is deeply personal. After coming out later in life \u2014 he had been married to a woman for 28 years \u2014 he moved from Ohio to St. Pete in 2022 and began volunteering for St. Pete Pride<\/a>. From there, connections with people like David Fischer, owner of ZaZoo\u2019d and a core member of the Winter Pride team, helped lay the groundwork for something new: a second Pride celebration during Florida\u2019s winter season, when balmy weather draws in snowbirds from the north.<\/p>\n Now, Hall is preparing for what he says will be an even bigger celebration in 2026, with over 100,000 attendees expected. It won\u2019t just be a party but a protest wrapped in celebration, especially in an era of increasing political attacks against the LGBTQ+ community across Florida and the nation.<\/p>\n \u201cProtests can come in many forms,\u201d he says. \u201cWe choose to take the celebratory format. We want people to feel accepted and welcome, no matter who you are, no matter your background.\u201d<\/p>\n That sense of safety and community was echoed by Evelyn Long, a 24-year-old member of the Winter Pride team who calls the experience of planning the event \u201ca serious privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when people feel powerless, I have the privilege of having a sense of agency and making a difference,\u201d Long says. \u201cWinter Pride emphasizes the power of the queer community in our area \u2014 that we deserve to be visible and active members of the community year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n Long recalls the Trans-n-Dance event, described as a \u201cliberating dance for the trans community and their loved ones,\u201d as a defining moment for her personally. She says the full Winter Pride team, which includes mostly cisgender members, intentionally engages the local trans community in designing the event to avoid falling into performative allyship.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t want it to feel pandering or sterilized,\u201d she says. \u201cWe wanted it to feel fun, vibrant, and authentically led by and for the trans community.\u201d<\/p>\n Trans-n-Dance also left a mark on Fischer, \u201cas an emotional and all-around great time,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s themed weeks that they have throughout the summer to keep people interested in tourism there,\u201d Fischer says. \u201cI don\u2019t think Pride is about just celebrating Pride and gay people one time a year.\u201d<\/p>\n In Florida, Winter Pride stands as a bold reclaiming of space where something as simple as a rainbow crosswalk can spark controversy. These joyful symbols of inclusion have become battlegrounds, including the crosswalk near Pulse nightclub<\/a>, long a memorial to the 49 victims killed there in 2016, which was recently painted over by city officials in\u00a0 accordance with a state order from Gov. DeSantis.<\/p>\n
The idea for Winter Pride took root following the popularity of St. Pete\u2019s Pride celebration in June \u2014 and as a response to the notion that LGBTQ+ Pride should only be recognized during the summer. Many Floridians expressed interest in a Pride event during the cooler months, which, for Fischer, brought back memories of themed events in queer destinations like Provincetown, Key West, and Fire Island.<\/p>\n