Arlington resident Kate Todd, 20, dances to music during Arlington Pride 2025 on June 14 at Levitt Pavilion.
On Tuesday, DeeJay Johannessen, president and CEO of the HELP Center for LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness, announced Arlington Pride will return to the city in 2027.
Johannessen cited the city’s local election results and conversations with city leaders as reasons for the event’s return on June 12, 2027, according to a HELP Center press release.
“Arlington voters have spoken clearly,” he said in the release. “They elected leaders who understand that strong communities are built by bringing people together.”
The cancellation of Arlington Pride this year followed the city’s passage of a modified antidiscrimination chapter. The revised chapter gives the city less control over discriminatory issues than the previous chapter.
The new chapter relies on federal legislation for protection and does not allow the city to intervene in discriminatory issues, and instead directs individuals to a state or federal agency.
The original chapter, which was suspended in September 2025, allowed the city to investigate claims of discrimination based on race, religion or sexual orientation.
City leadership and event organizers will continue engaging in conversations regarding local civil rights protections, according to the release.
Mayor Jim Ross said, in the release, he looks forward to working with community leaders to put forward solutions that ensure citizens have confidence that discrimination will not be tolerated in the city.
Arlington Pride was founded in 2022. The latest Pride event in 2025 drew more than 15,600 attendees and generated an estimated $4.5 million in local economic impact.
“While there have been difficult times over the past year, our focus now is on moving forward,” Johannessen said.
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